Russian leader Vladimir Putin has used his state visit to North Korea to ramp up attacks on the “imperialistic” sanctions policies of the U.S. and its Western allies, potentially paving the way for the two countries to take a first step toward creating a parallel economy outside the shackles of the current global financial system.

Before his arrival in Pyongyang, Putin called for the development of “alternative trade and mutual settlements mechanisms not controlled by the West” in a letter published in North Korea’s party-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Tuesday.

Drawing attention to