North Korean leader Kim, Putin discuss 'long-term' plan for bilateral cooperation: KCNA

Seoul, Sep 4
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed "long-term" plans for cooperation between the two nations during their talks in Beijing on the sidelines of China's military parade, state media reported on Thursday.

The summit took place hours after Kim and Putin attended China's large-scale military parade the previous day, together with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Kim and Putin "discussed in detail the long-term plans for cooperation between the two countries and reaffirmed their steadfast will to continue to lead the bilateral relations to a high level," reports Yonhap, quoting the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Calling the bilateral ties "special ones of trust, friendship and alliance," Putin said Russia will "always remember" sacrifices by North Korean troops deployed for Moscow's war with Ukraine, it said.

Kim said the North will "fully" support Russia's efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing his country considers it a "fraternal duty" to provide assistance to Moscow.

The two leaders also had "an open-minded exchange" of views on important international and regional issues, the KCNA said, without elaborating.

Russian media reports said Wednesday that Putin invited Kim to visit Russia again, but the North's state media did not report on it.

The Kim-Putin talks came amid attention over how deepening military cooperation between the two countries will evolve as expectations are growing that Russia's war with Ukraine may conclude in the near future.

At the start of the meeting, Putin said the North's troops took part in the liberation of the front-line Kursk region, driven by Kim's "personal initiative," reports Russia's Tass news agency.

Since October last year, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to aid Russia's war efforts, according to South Korea's spy agency.

The North is likely to additionally send some 6,000 soldiers to Russia in its third batch of troop deployment, the National Intelligence Service said Tuesday, noting that around 1,000 combat engineers have already arrived in Russia.

The agency also estimated that around 2,000 North Korean troops dispatched for the war have been killed so far.

Kim made his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage by standing alongside Xi and Putin at China's celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of what it describes as victory against Japan and the end of World War II.

The trio coming together at the rostrum of Tiananmen Square was a symbolic scene displaying a united front of the three countries against the United States.