In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, stands beside North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un at the airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, AFP, Getty Images/TNS)
SEOUL, South Korea (Tribune News Service) — Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to brief him on the war in Ukraine ahead of the Russian president’s planned summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska.
During the call on Tuesday, Putin thanked Kim for supporting his war on Ukraine as the two leaders “exchanged views on the issues of mutual concern,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said. The Kremlin had earlier said Putin shared information with Kim “in the context of the upcoming talks” with Trump.
“Kim Jong Un expressed firm conviction that the DPRK would always remain faithful to the spirit of the DPRK-Russia treaty and fully support all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future,” KCNA said, referring to a mutual defense pact the two leaders signed last year. DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The phone conversation, which was held in a “warm comradely atmosphere,” according to North Korea, took place just three days before Putin and Trump are set to meet in Alaska as part of the latest U.S. effort to negotiate a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict, now in its fourth year.
Putin has demanded that Ukraine cede the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, territory that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said is non-negotiable. Trump has suggested he’s on board with the idea of Russia and Ukraine swapping some territory.
The latest call follows Putin’s phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday during which Xi said he was glad to see the U.S. and Russia talking. Putin also spoke with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
Kim has emerged as a key ally of Putin and his war in Ukraine, helping boost Moscow’s fighting presence on the ground while raising concerns about North Korea’s ability to strengthen its military and sustain its regime with Russian backing.
When Putin visited Pyongyang in June 2024 — his first trip to North Korea in 24 years — the two leaders revived a Cold War–era agreement to provide immediate military assistance if either country is attacked. Putin also invited Kim to visit Moscow.
Kim and Putin agreed to further enhance their partnership and “make closer contact in the future,” KCNA said.
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