FILE - In this May 21, 2014 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping before the opening ceremony at the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Shanghai, China. Angry with the West's response over Ukraine, Russia is moving rapidly to bolster ties with North Korea in a diplomatic nose-thumbing that could complicate the U.S.-led effort to squeeze Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear weapons program. Russia's proactive strategy in Asia- which also involves cozying up to China and had been dubbed "Putin's Pivot" - began years ago as Moscow's answer to Washington's much touted rebalancing of its military forces in the Pacific. (AP Photo/Mark Ralston, Pool, File)
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