(CNN) —
What does a world leader who’s been shunned by the international community and strained relations with every major global power do to show that he still has some friends?
Invite 26 leaders of nations, not all of them famous for democracy or transparency, to a grandiose celebration for the 70th anniversary of World War II. And include a leader ostracized by almost the entire world – North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
That, at least, appears to be the motivation behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s WWII celebration next month.
Welcome to the Russian leader’s world of “screw you” policy, as North Korea expert Nicholas Eberstadt put it.
While Putin has some diplomatic ground to gain by inviting the pariah leader, mostly it’s an invite sent out of pique.
“Spite is an underestimated quality in international relations,” he said. “Russia stood to gain basically nothing from playing the Kim Jong Un card. It was sort of a ‘screw you’ policy.”
This particular “screw you” policy has been underway since last year, when Russia moved to bolster ties with North Korea after Western nations, led by the United States, increased their military presence in Putin’s neighborhood in response to the Russian leader’s move to annex Crimea.
President Barack Obama, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are all boycotting Putin’s event over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But a Russian official said Thursday that the notoriously reclusive head of the “hermit kingdom” would be making his first official diplomatic outing to attend the event next month.
The invite has practical implications, as Russia’s move to build stronger ties with North Korea could pay positive economic dividends for both nations. Moscow’s “Year of Friendship” with Pyongyang is set to include stronger financial cooperation between the two countries, as well as trade and investment deals.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
Rodong Sinmun
A new type of intermediate-range missile, the Pukguksong-2, was launched by North Korea on February 12.
It was their first launch since US President Donald Trump took office.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
NKís state-owned Rodong Sinmun
Images published by North Korean state media purport to show a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula on Saturday, April 23, 2016. Five days later, South Korea claims the North launched two more missiles on April 28 that failed.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
Rodong Sinmun (North Korean Gov)/Rodong Sinmun (North Korean Gov)/Rodong Sinmun (North Korean Gov)
In March, 2016, state media says Pyongyang has miniaturized nuclear warheads.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
South Korean Defense Ministry
On February 9, 2016 South Korea's Defense Ministry releases images of debris believed to be a part of North Korean rocket, which was launched on February 7. Pyongyang said it had successfully launched Earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4 into orbit.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
On January 6, North Korea claims to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Seismic waves indicate an "artificial earthquake" near Punggye-ri, North Korea's main nuclear testing site.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
Rodong Sinmun
On May 9, 2015, North Korea state media reports the country has successfully fired a "cutting-edge" anti-ship missile from a submarine.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
North Korea test-fired a new "ultra-precision" intelligent rocket to be deployed across its navy, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said on February 7, 2015.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
Jane's Defense Weekly/DigitalGlobe/File
North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on February 12, 2013 -- the first under Kim Jong Un. The nuclear test site and water cooling plant are seen in this satellite image.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
KNS/AFP/Getty Images
This picture from KCNA on December 12, 2012 shows the North Korean rocket Unha-3, carrying the satellite Kwangmyongsong-3, lifting off from the launching pad in North Korea.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images/File
A missile is displayed during a military parade to mark 100 years since the birth of North Korea's founder Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
Photos: North Korea's weapons tests
PHOTO:
AFP/Getty Images
This undated file picture released by KCNA on January 5, 2009 shows an artillery unit conducting a drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
And theoretically, North Korea could offer Russia a useful trade route or, sometime in the future, a path for an oil pipeline. Russia has a vested interest in preventing North Korea from becoming a nuclear power and could possibly wield more influence after building a closer relationship. And Putin has also been jockeying to play a bigger role in the Asian sphere writ large.
But the symbolism of the invitation is likely just as important.
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