Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit North Korea and Vietnam, the Kremlin announced on Monday.
Putin's visit to North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday follows an invitation from ruler Kim Jong Un, a statement said, describing the trip as a "friendly state visit." Putin is then due to travel on to Vietnam for two days.
Russia maintains close ties to North Korea, which is viewed with great suspicion in the West. The isolated communist country with nuclear ambitions is believed to be supplying Russia with ammunition for its war against Ukraine.
Kim paid a rare foreign visit to Russia in September.
In Vietnam, the Kremlin announced that Putin would meet the heads of state, government and the Communist Party. The talks are to focus on expanding the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership.
Last year, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin, in relation to alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
He is therefore restricted in his international contacts and can only visit allied countries that - like Russia - do not recognize the court.
Since the start of his new term of office in May, Putin has visited Belarus, China and Uzbekistan.
