Russian President Vladimir Putin has lauded the “bravery” and “heroism” of North Korean soldiers in retaking Russia’s Kursk region from Ukrainian forces during a call with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Putin told Kim that he “highly appreciated” North Korea’s support and the “self-sacrificing spirit” displayed by its troops during the liberation of the western region.
The call, which took place days before Putin’s scheduled summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, is the latest sign of strengthening ties between North Korea and Russia amid Moscow’s ostracisation on the world stage. Kim expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to Putin and said Pyongyang would “always remain faithful” to the spirit of the mutual defence treaty signed by the sides last year.
The call suggests that North Korea may play a role in helping to create an opening for US-DPRK relations, according to Jenny Town, the director of the Korea programme at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. “There are a lot of ifs still in the air, but the call suggests there’s a role for Russia, similar to the role South Korea played in 2018, in helping create an opening for US-DPRK relations,” Town said.
North Korea has deployed more than 10,000 troops to support Russia’s war and has drawn up plans to dispatch thousands more, according to assessments by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. Last month, Kim told Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov that Pyongyang would “unconditionally support” all actions taken by Moscow in Ukraine.
At his scheduled summit with Putin on Friday, Trump is expected to press the Russian leader to agree to a peace deal. Trump told reporters that he will probably know within the “first two minutes” of meeting Putin whether they can reach a deal and that any agreement would involve “some swapping, changes in land” between Moscow and Kyiv.
The upcoming summit is significant, given the current tensions between the US and Russia over the war in Ukraine. The international community is watching closely to see if the two leaders can make progress on finding a solution to the conflict.
The strengthening ties between North Korea and Russia have significant implications for the international community. The deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia’s war effort has raised concerns about the potential for further escalation in the conflict.
The call between Putin and Kim is a clear indication of the growing relationship between the two countries, and it will be interesting to see how this develops in the coming months. The international community will be watching closely to see how the US and other countries respond to this development.