Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow on Sunday, thanking Pyongyang for its military backing in the war against Ukraine. Choe, who traveled to Russia at the invitation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, relayed that leader Kim Jong Un remains committed to deepening ties with Moscow.
The two countries have steadily aligned since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. North Korea deployed ground troops to the Kursk region and supplied weapons systems, while Moscow provided financial aid, food, energy, and military technology in return. North Korean forces joined combat operations in Kursk in 2024 and helped push Ukrainian units out of the area the following year.
Kim has suspended meaningful dialogue with Washington and Seoul since his nuclear diplomacy with then-U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Putin and Kim signed a defense agreement during a 2024 summit in Pyongyang.