Picture Credit: Vladimir Smirnov/AFP via Getty Images
According to Pyongyang’s state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un conveyed his ‘full support’ for Russia in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ahead of the scheduled summit in Alaska between President Donald Trump and Putin.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the call took place the previous day and marked the first time North Korea publicly reported on a phone conversation between its leader and a foreign head of state.
The talks coincided with preparations for the Alaska summit on Friday, where Putin and Trump are expected to discuss efforts to halt Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Kim reportedly conveyed a ‘firm conviction’ that North Korea would remain loyal to the DPRK-Russia treaty and pledged to fully support any future measures taken by Russian authorities.
The treaty, signed in June last year, is a mutual defence agreement between the two nations.
According to KCNA, Putin expressed appreciation for North Korea’s military involvement in Russia’s conflict, praising the ‘bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit displayed by service personnel of the Korean People’s Army in liberating Kursk, a part of Russian territory’.
Russian news agency TASS previously noted that Putin briefed Kim on his upcoming meeting with Trump, although KCNA did not provide details on this aspect of the conversation.
The KCNA also reported that Putin congratulated North Korea on the 80th anniversary of its liberation on 15 August, marking the end of Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation and agreed to maintain closer contact going forward.
The mutual defence treaty signed last year stipulates that military assistance must be provided ‘without delay’ if either country faces an attack, according to Yonhap news agency.
North Korea has reportedly sent troops and military equipment to support Russia’s war efforts.
Russian media further reported that the North will dispatch 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Kursk to assist with reconstruction operations.
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