Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Kremlin, during which he expressed appreciation for Pyongyang’s backing of Russian military operations in Ukraine. The encounter marked another significant diplomatic engagement between Moscow and Pyongyang, though Russian state media did not specify an official agenda for the visit.
Choe’s trip to Russia followed an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. North Korean state media confirmed her departure but refrained from detailing the purpose of her mission. Her visit has prompted analysts to speculate that she may be coordinating arrangements for a potential summit between Russian and North Korean leaders, though South Korea’s Unification Ministry declined to confirm this assessment while stating it was monitoring the developments closely.
During the meeting, Putin reiterated his gratitude toward North Korean leadership and citizens for their military support. In response, Choe conveyed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un remained committed to advancing comprehensive bilateral relations with Russia. The two countries have maintained a pattern of high-level summits, with Kim having visited Russia’s Far East previously. Putin extended an invitation for Kim to return to Russia during their June 2024 summit in Pyongyang, where both leaders signed a strategic partnership agreement committing to mutual assistance in cases of aggression.
North Korea has significantly deepened its alignment with Russia in recent years, contributing thousands of troops and substantial quantities of military equipment to support Russian operations in Ukraine. Concurrently, Kim has prioritized strengthening relations with China, recently hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for discussions in Pyongyang. This diplomatic positioning reflects North Korea’s broader strategy to position itself as a central actor in geopolitical realignment.