North Korea said its soldiers helped Moscow reclaim territory under Ukrainian control in the Russian region of Kursk. US President Trump said Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy was ready to give up Crimea.
Putin thanks North Korea for fighting Ukrainian troops in Kursk
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his personal gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the role of North Korean troops in driving Ukrainian forces out of Russia's Kursk region, the Kremlin said in a statement.
"Our Korean friends acted based on a sense of solidarity, justice and genuine comradeship," the Kremlin cited Putin.
"We highly appreciate this and are sincerely grateful personally to the Chairman of State Affairs Comrade Kim Jong Un, the entire leadership and people of the DPRK," the statement said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its formal name — the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Pyongyang confirmed for the first time on Monday that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine and that it had helped regain control of Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.
Over the weekend, Moscow claimed the "liberation" of the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a shocking cross-border offensive in August 2024.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that the Ukrainian army still maintains its presence on Russian territory.
