Putin, Kim Vow Stronger Cooperation Ahead of Trump-Putin Alaska Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have pledged to deepen bilateral ties just days before Putin’s scheduled meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska, Pyongyang’s state media reported Wednesday.

KCNA said the two leaders spoke by phone Tuesday in a “warm comradely atmosphere,” affirming their commitment to future cooperation. Putin praised the “self-sacrificing spirit” of North Korean troops who took part in the “liberation of Kursk,” a reference to Pyongyang’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Kim pledged North Korea would “fully support all measures” taken by Russia’s leadership.

The call comes as Russia and North Korea have strengthened military and political ties in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying troops and weapons to Moscow. The two nations signed a mutual defense pact last year during Putin’s visit to North Korea, and in April, Pyongyang confirmed for the first time that its soldiers were deployed alongside Russian forces on Ukraine’s front lines.

Trump is expected to push Putin to end the Ukraine war when they meet Friday in Alaska.