Putin Thanks North Korea for 15,000 Troops, Vows Stronger Ties
Updated
Updated · UPI News · Jul 20
Putin Thanks North Korea for 15,000 Troops, Vows Stronger Ties
3 articles · Updated · UPI News · Jul 20
Summary
At the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin publicly thanked North Korea for sending troops to help Russian forces in Kursk and said ties with Pyongyang were expanding "in all areas."
South Korea's intelligence agency says North Korea has deployed about 15,000 troops and shipped thousands of munitions containers to Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine; roughly 2,000 troops were estimated killed.
Choe Son Hui, visiting Moscow, reaffirmed that North Korea would keep backing Russia's war effort, while Putin asked her to pass greetings to Kim Jong Un.
The trip, lacking any major anniversary trigger, has fueled analyst speculation that it may prepare a Kim visit to Russia; Seoul said nothing has been made public.
The meeting also comes as Pyongyang intensifies high-level diplomacy with both Moscow and Beijing after Kim's last Russia trip in September 2023 and Xi Jinping's North Korea visit last month.