Russian President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed his "friendship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un just days before a planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on August 15, BGNES reported, reports News.bg.
The two heads of state spoke by phone on August 12. According to the Kremlin, they expressed a commitment to developing "friendly relations, good-neighborliness and cooperation". Putin briefed Kim on preparations for the upcoming talks with Trump and shared information in the context of the meeting.
The Russian president praised Pyongyang's military support, including assistance in the "liberation of the territory of the Kursk region", where the Ukrainian army launched a brief offensive last year.
Cooperation between Russia and North Korea has intensified since Moscow was isolated by the West over the war in Ukraine. According to Kiev and Seoul, at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to fight alongside Russian forces. Pyongyang has also supplied missiles, artillery shells and construction workers for Russian infrastructure projects.
The BBC reported this week on the harsh conditions in which thousands of North Korean workers in Russia are working on construction sites described as "slave-like."
The phone call came amid fresh successes by the Russian military in Ukraine, including a surprise offensive near the eastern town of Dobropilia.