This week Vladimir Putin met with fellow autocrat - the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un in another public demonstration of what is being touted as another step in the construction of a new security block to challenge the dominance of the West.

Patrick and Saul discuss what this means for the war in Ukraine and how worried should we be? To help them answer this they talk to Roger Boyes, veteran foreign correspondent and very distinguished Diplomatic Editor of the London Times.

If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com

Producer: James Hodgson

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171. How significant is Russia's Alliance with North Korea