Putin, North Korea’s Kim Hold Phone Talks Ahead of Alaska Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have pledged to strengthen bilateral cooperation, days before Putin is scheduled to meet former US President Donald Trump in Alaska, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Wednesday.

The two leaders spoke by telephone on Tuesday in a “warm comradely atmosphere” and confirmed “their will to strengthen cooperation in the future,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Putin reportedly expressed appreciation for “the self-sacrificing spirit displayed by service personnel of the Korean People’s Army in liberating Kursk,” a reference to North Korea’s reported involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In response, Kim pledged that North Korea would “fully support all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future, too.”

The Kremlin confirmed the phone call in a statement, noting that Putin had “shared information with Kim Jong Un in the context of the upcoming talks with US President Donald Trump.”

Trump is expected to urge Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine during his Alaska meeting with Putin on Friday.

Strategic Implications

The public disclosure of the conversation appears aimed at signalling the closeness of the two leaders to both domestic and international audiences.

“The intent is to showcase their closeness to domestic and international audiences,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

Yang suggested that should Trump and Putin reach agreement on a Ukraine peace deal, “Putin could convey Kim’s stance on Trump’s North Korea-related interests, potentially including a conditional summit on nuclear disarmament.”

He added: “If Russia-Ukraine peace talks gather momentum, they could have a positive spillover effect on US–North Korea and inter-Korean dialogue.”

Russia–North Korea Relations

In recent years, Russia and North Korea have strengthened ties, with Pyongyang reportedly providing troops and weapons for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.

The two nations signed a mutual defence pact last year during Putin’s visit to the reclusive state.

North Korea confirmed in April for the first time that it had deployed a contingent of its soldiers to the front line in Ukraine, alongside Russian troops.

Facts Table