North Korea Conducts Strategic Cruise Missile Test; Putin Meets North Korean Delegation in Moscow

North Korea conducted a "strategic cruise missile training launch" into the Yellow Sea on Friday, February 28, 2025, according to state news agency KCNA. The exercise aimed to demonstrate the performance of its "state nuclear deterrence." The launch was conducted by a sub-unit of the Korean People's Army in the western region, intended to warn enemies of Pyongyang's "counterattack capability in any space" and the readiness of its nuclear operation capabilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with a North Korean delegation led by Ri Hi Yong, a secretary of the central committee of the North's ruling Worker's Party of Korea, in Moscow on Thursday, as reported by Russia's Interfax. This meeting signals deepening ties between the two nations, coinciding with Kim Jong Un's promotion of a new strategic missile tested earlier in the week to strengthen his "nuclear shield."