Kim, Putin set to meet as US mulls sending long-range weapons to Ukraine. Here's the latest headlines from the war

 Kim Jong Un departs Pyongyang, North Korea, to visit Russia. KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has traveled to Russia on his heavily-armored private train for a closely-watched summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Russian and North Korean state media reported.

Meanwhile, discussions about the United States sending long-range missiles to Kyiv have ramped up in recent weeks as Ukraine officials put pressure on the Biden administration, people familiar with the discussions told CNN.

The transfer of the ATACMS – which have a range of up to 186 miles (299 kilometers) – would mark just the latest instance of the US reversing gear on providing a system after months of pressure by Ukrainian officials. The Biden administration also resisted sending multiple-launch rocket systems, Patriot air defense systems, Abrams tanks, and cluster munitions — all of which were ultimately provided to Kyiv.

Here's what to know:

• Kim arrives in Russia: The North Korean leader's train arrived in Russia Tuesday and is traveling north through Primorsky Krai, in the far east region of the country, Russian state news agency RIA reported. Images released from North Korean news agency KCNA Tuesday show Kim boarding his armored private train in the capital Pyongyang Sunday ahead of the summit. Neither country has specified when or where the visit would take place, nor what would be on the agenda. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the meeting will be a “full-blown visit, with talks between the two delegations,” according to Russian state media TASS.
• Warnings from the US: The US government first warned last week that Kim may travel to Russia to meet Putin about a potential deal to supply Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine. The White House has said arms negotiations between the two countries are “actively advancing.” The potential Putin-Kim meeting could also lead to Pyongyang getting its hands on weapons United Nations and US sanctions have barred it from accessing for two decades.
• Aid to Ukraine: US President Joe Biden is expected to make a final decision soon on sending long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, also known as ATACMS, to Ukraine for the first time, sources told CNN. In Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for continued US support for Ukraine even as his Republican party remains divided on the issue. Germany is pledging an additional 20 million euros (about $21 million) in humanitarian aid for Ukraine to prepare for winter, the foreign minister announced in Kyiv.
• On the front lines: On the southern front, Russian and Ukrainian officials report heavy fighting in a small area near the village of Robotyne, which has been the focus of fighting for several weeks. In the east, both sides said the most intense fighting is centered on the village of Andriivka, south of Bakhmut.
• What Ukrainians are saying: Some residents of Kyiv are saying they are prepared for the long haul after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the war may go on for some time yet. Kateryna Polishchuk, who lives in Kyiv, said she understood ”that we should not expect any immediate success in this war. This war has not been going on for 8 or 10 years, it is a struggle that has been going on for 300 years.”
• Bear to be adopted: An Asiatic black bear, which endured severe trauma in a zoo in Russian-occupied Ukraine, is set to be adopted by a zoo in Scotland. Almost all 200 of the animals at the zoo had been killed by the time Ukrainian soldiers entered in October 2022. A 12-year-old bear was one of the few left alive but was injured when a shell exploded near his cage, Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland said.