Putin, North Korea’s Kim Hold Phone Call Ahead of Alaska Summit

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un have vowed to strengthen cooperation, days ahead of Putin’s summit in Alaska with Donald Trump, Pyongyang’s state media reported Wednesday.  

Putin and Kim spoke by phone in a “warm comradely atmosphere” on Tuesday and confirmed “their will to strengthen cooperation in the future”, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. 

Putin expressed appreciation for “the self-sacrificing spirit displayed by service personnel of the Korean People’s Army in liberating Kursk”, KCNA added, a reference to North Korea’s participation in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Kim in turn pledged that North Korea would “fully support all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future, too”.

US President Trump is expected to press Russia to end the Ukraine war during their meeting in Alaska on Friday.

Russia and North Korea have forged closer ties in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying troops and weapons for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.

The two countries signed a mutual defense pact last year, when Putin visited the reclusive state.

North Korea confirmed for the first time in April that it had deployed a contingent of its soldiers to the front line in Ukraine, alongside Russian troops.

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