Putin thanks N. Korean leader for troop deployment to Russia: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the deployment of troops to support its war with Ukraine, pledging that their bilateral friendship, forged on battlefields, will continue to grow in all areas, the Kremlin said Monday.

Putin conveyed his gratitude to Kim for the “active role” played by North Korean soldiers in the fight against Ukraine, his statement updated on the website of his office said, just hours after Pyongyang officially confirmed its troop deployment to Russia.

He praised the solidarity, justice and genuine camaraderie North Korean soldiers had shown, adding that “We highly appreciate this and are sincerely grateful, personally to the Chairman of State Affairs, Comrade Kim Jong-un, as well as the entire leadership and the people” of North Korea.

Putin also said “the strong bond of friendship, neighbourly relations and cooperation between the two countries, tempered on the battlefield, will continue to grow and expand across the board.”

Putin defended the mobilization of North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine as fully complying with international laws, unilaterally accusing Ukraine of invading Russian territory and suggesting that Kyiv had triggered the war.

He also claimed that the troop deployment was in accordance with the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, which he and Kim signed in June last year in Pyongyang, committing to providing immediate military assistance to each other in the event either comes under an armed attack.

Putin’s message came shortly after Russia and North Korea’s almost simultaneous public confirmations that North Korea troops had been engaged in combat in Kursk on the Russian side, a move whose timing, experts speculated, might have been closely coordinated between the two countries.

Since more than 10,000 North Korea forces were deployed to Russia in October, both Moscow and Pyongyang had remained silent on the issue until Russia’s top general officially confirmed their combat engagement last Saturday, followed by North Korea’s confirmation Monday.

Such moves spawned speculations that Kim may travel to Russia for a summit with Putin to further strengthen their partnership, and that he may want to participate in negotiations on the repatriation of North Korean war dead or prisoners of war.

Russia’s Ria Novosti news outlet reported on Monday that Putin has no plans to hold contacts with Kim yet, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.