Kim of North Korea says he will ‘support Russia’s war against Ukraine unconditionally’

Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told a top Russian official that his country would “support” the war of Russia against Ukraine, the north state media on Thursday reported the latest hint of the expansion of cooperation between the two countries. In April, the two countries officially confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia for the first time, saying that soldiers of the two countries were fighting each other to remove a Ukrainian avatar in Russia’s Cursa Border Region. At that time, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea’s participation in the war and promised not to forget his sacrifices. In a meeting with Sergei Shigu, Secretary, the Russian Security Council in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim confirmed that North Korea would support Russia and its foreign policies in all important international political issues, including the Ukrainian issue, “said the official Korean Central News Agency. Both discussed how to strengthen the strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia and reach a consensus on Ukraine issues and other unspecified international conditions, KCNA said. It was not wide. Russia’s State Tass News Agency, citing the press service of the Russian Security Council, stated that Shigu and Kim also discussed the possibilities for reconstruction of the Kursk region and designed steps to celebrate the contribution made by North Korean soldiers. In April 2025, Russia claimed that it had fully retrieved the Kursk region, although Ukraine insisted that there were still soldiers present there. Olecasandra Sirski, the head head of Ukraine’s top army, reiterated on Saturday that Ukrainian forces were still organizing areas in Russia’s Kursk region. Shoigu last visited North Korea in March for a meeting with Kim. North Korea and Russia have not said how many North Korean soldiers are in Russia. But intelligence officials from the US, South Korean and Ukraine had earlier stated that North Korea had sent 10,000–12,000 soldiers to Russia in its first partnership in a major armed struggle since 1950–53 Korean War. South Korean officials recently said that North Korea had sent around 3,000 additional soldiers to Russia earlier this year. North Korea is also supplying a large amount of traditional weapons to Russia. South Korean, the US and their colleagues believe that Russia in turn has provided economic and military assistance to North Korea. They worry that Russia can also transfer refined technologies to help North Korea to increase its nuclear weapons program that targets its rivals.