Visiting North Korea on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a cooperation agreement with dictator Kim Jong Un. The North Korean leader threw out the red carpet for Putin, assembling thousands of children, dancers, and soldiers to fete him with an extravagant parade. Pomp aside, however, the two leaders each had one specific objective.

Putin wants North Korea’s increased supply of ammunition, weapons, and likely also North Korean soldiers for use in his war against Ukraine. He needs this support as Russian casualties continue to mount and Russian forces continue to expend vast amounts of ammunition. On the flip side, Kim wants Russia’s increased supply of technical expertise to further develop his ballistic missile program. He wants to be able to credibly hold the United States at risk of a nuclear strike. Kim believes this would assure his regime stability and secure his greater leverage over the U.S. and South Korea via the dangle of a nuclear holocaust.