(CNN)North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a dramatic entrance Wednesday in Russia's far-eastern city of Vladivostok, arriving from Pyongyang amid much fanfare in an armored train at the city's central station.
Russian state television showed Kim being greeted by a military band and meeting top Russian officials. The main event will be on Thursday, when the North Korean leader meets Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But can we expect the meeting to have any substance?
The Kremlin has set limited expectations for the summit, which will include one-on-one talks between the two leaders. In advance of the meeting, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin and Kim do not plan to sign any agreements or come out with a joint statement.
But it is important the summit is happening at all.
Earlier this year President Donald Trump's Hanoi summit with Kim ended with no agreement after the North Korean leader insisted all US sanctions be lifted on his country. That failure followed the historic first summit in Singapore between the American and North Korean leaders, where Trump portrayed himself as a dealmaker.
Putin's meeting, then, is something of a coup.
"Putin has been trying to get the North Korean leader to Russia for a long time," said Andrey Kortunov of the Russian International Affairs Council. "The last attempt was made in September at Vladivostok's economic forum. This is perceived as an opportunity to get Putin's foot into the doorway of the Korean settlement to make sure Russia is not just an observer but an active player in this drama."
What Kim stands to gain, then, is a subject of speculation.
"My take is this an indicator there are serious problems in his relations with the Trump administration," Kortunov said. "He understands that the pressure is likely to continue mounting and (US Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo -- who is authorized to negotiate -- is a tough negotiator, and he needs to beef up extra support which he can only get from two places: Beijing or Moscow."
China may be a key supporter of North Korea, but Russia has some leverage. It is a major destination for North Korea's migrant workers -- a valuable source of hard currency to the impoverished North Korean state.
Kim "is shopping around for a deal -- playing the various actors off each other, looking for wins and bargains along the way," said Robert Kelly, professor of international relations, Pusan National University.
"That we all seem to think it's all about Trump is our own American blindness. Russia can't give Kim much -- beyond a safe place to park illicit income. The trip is more about stirring other interlocutors into renewed talks/concessions."
For its part, the Kremlin says this summit with Kim is also about de-nuclearization on the Korean peninsula. Russia too is uncomfortable with a nuclear-armed North Korean neighbor.
But it's also about Russia asserting itself, once again, on the international stage.
Putin may have been sidelined by the high-profile Trump-Kim summits that have dominated the headlines for months. But now, Russia's strongman president is back where he likes to be -- at the center of international diplomacy and attention.
