Mr. Putin and Mr. Kim Jong Un had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of China’s September 3 military parade.
During a bilateral meeting after attending a military parade in China on September 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the participation of North Korean troops in Russia’s special operations in Ukraine, Reuters news agency reported.
“On your initiative, as everyone knows, North Korean special forces took part in the operation to liberate the Kursk region,” Putin said at a meeting with Kim in China. “Your soldiers fought bravely and heroically.”
According to published information, North Korean troops assisted Russia in repelling Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region in western Russia earlier this year.
“I would like to stress that we will never forget the sacrifices made by your armed forces and the families of your servicemen,” Putin said.
“On behalf of the Russian people, I would like to express my sincere thanks to you for your participation in the common struggle,” Putin added. “I hope you will convey my most sincere thanks to the entire people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
In response, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked Putin for his compliments to the North Korean soldiers and affirmed that he is ready to do “everything possible to support” Russia.
The bilateral meeting between Kim and Putin took place on the sidelines of a grand military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism. The two leaders of North Korea and Russia were in China to attend the parade.
Assessing the warm image between the leaders, Doo Jin-ho, director of the Center for Eurasian Studies at the Korea Institute for National Strategy, commented:
“I think this is the beginning of a new era in trilateral security cooperation between North Korea, China and Russia. In the long term, North Korea wants to establish an alliance with Russia in the security field and with China in the economic field.”