Kim Jong Un tells Putin he is 'proud' of strong North Korea-Russia ties

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin he was "proud" of their countries’ strong ties, state media reported Sunday. North Korea has become a key ally for Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, providing military support in exchange for economic benefits and military technology.

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I am always proud to be able to expect more excellent future of the bilateral relations by leading, together with you, the DPRK-Russia ties that has carried forward the history of common struggle.

Kim stated in a letter to Putin that he was "always proud to be able to expect more excellent future of the bilateral relations by leading, together with you, the DPRK-Russia ties that has carried forward the history of common struggle." He also expressed a "firm belief" that Russia would thrive and defend its "territorial integrity" under Putin’s "wise leadership."

In a letter delivered to Kim on Friday, Putin said relations between the two countries had reached an "unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership." He added that the nations "actively cooperating in all the sectors while making concerted efforts to ensure the regional security and stability."

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Our states are actively cooperating in all the sectors while making concerted efforts to ensure the regional security and stability.

The exchange of letters comes after Ukraine accused Moscow this month of launching North Korean ballistic missiles, an attack that killed at least nine people and wounded dozens. Kyiv also recently claimed that up to 50,000 North Korean troops are due to deploy to Russia, though no evidence or timeframe was provided. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Seoul to supply air defense systems in response, a request that has gone unanswered.

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I am proud of our countries’ strong ties.