Kim Jong Un Reaffirms Support for Russia, Confirms North Korean Troop Role in Ukraine War

By Staff, Agencies

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reiterated Pyongyang’s full backing of Russia in its war against Ukraine, during a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in the North Korean capital.

According to North Korea's state news agency KCNA, Kim pledged continued “unconditional support” for Moscow’s stance on all major global political matters, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The discussion also centered on military cooperation and the implementation of the strategic treaty between North Korea and Russia, signed during President Vladimir Putin’s June 2024 visit to Pyongyang. That agreement includes a provision for mutual military and other forms of assistance in the event of an armed attack on either nation.

KCNA and the Russian Security Council confirmed that the leaders also talked about the recent fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where North Korean troops have actively engaged Ukrainian forces. Both sides acknowledged the involvement of North Korean soldiers in the conflict — a fact initially denied by Moscow, but later confirmed by Russia’s Defense and Foreign Ministries, as well as President Putin himself in April 2025.

Shoigu and Kim further discussed commemorating the “heroism” of the North Korean troops who took part in the fighting. Pyongyang previously announced the “victorious completion” of its operation in the region, where North Korean military personnel were deployed in the autumn of 2024.

The renewed expression of solidarity and the confirmation of direct North Korean military involvement signal a deepening strategic alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang amid growing global tensions surrounding the war in Ukraine.