Russian President Vladimir Putin heaped praise on North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine as “heroic” in a letter penned to Kim Jong-un, North Korean state media reported.
The two nations have been forging closer ties since Putin’s war in Ukraine, with Kim deploying more than 12,000 North Korean troops to fight alongside Moscow.
“The bonds of military friendship, goodwill and mutual aid, which were consolidated in the days of the war long ago, remain solid and reliable even today,” Putin wrote in the letter marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule on Aug. 15, 1945, when both nations fought side-by-side.
“This was demonstrated by the heroic participation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s soldiers in liberating the territory of the Kursk region from the Ukrainian occupiers,” he said.
Pyongyang’s wave of soldiers — many inexperienced in modern warfare — helped Russia retake the Kursk region following Ukraine’s surprise counter-invasion last summer, which had left the Kremlin humiliated.
“The Russian people will keep forever the memories of their bravery and self-sacrifice,” Puttin added, according to the Korean Central News Agency, which reported the letter on Friday.
The Russian strongman said the two countries would continue to “act jointly and effectively defend their sovereignty and make a significant contribution to establishing a just and multi-polar world order.”
Putin’s letter came alongside a visit to Pyongyang by a Russian delegation, thanking Kim for sending “excellent soldiers” to Ukraine.
Kim said he spoke with Putin by phone Wednesday, agreeing to increase cooperation and keep “closer communication” between their countries.
Last month, South Korean intelligence warned North Korea was set to send 30,000 more troops to aid in Putin’s war machine, while estimating the hermit kingdom was now supplying almost half of Russia’s ammunition for its invasion.
The two leaders signed a mutual defense pact last year, when Putin visited the reclusive state, that was hailed as their strongest connection since the Cold War.
