Did North Korea's Kim Just Pledge His Full Support for Russia in Talks with Putin?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Kim Jong-un pledges full support for Russia.
- Significant summit between Trump and Putin approaching.
- Importance of mutual defense treaty between DPRK and Russia.
- North Korea sends military aid to Russia.
- Celebration of North Korea's 80th anniversary of liberation.
Seoul, Aug 14 (NationPress) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has conveyed his "full support" for Russia during his recent phone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, as reported by Pyongyang's state media on Wednesday. This interaction comes ahead of a significant summit between US President Donald Trump and Putin in Alaska.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim and Putin engaged in discussions the previous day, marking the first instance where North Korea has disclosed its leader's phone dialogue with a foreign head of state.
These discussions have taken place as Putin and Trump prepare for a summit in Alaska on Friday, where they will address measures to halt Moscow's ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Kim expressed his unwavering belief that the DPRK would remain loyal to the principles of the DPRK-Russia treaty and would fully endorse any future actions taken by the Russian leadership, as stated by the KCNA. This treaty was established between the two nations in June of the previous year.
The acronym DPRK stands for the full name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Regarding North Korea's troop contributions to support Russia's conflict in Ukraine, Putin commended the valour and selflessness exhibited by the personnel of the Korean People's Army in the liberation of Kursk, a Russian territory, as per KCNA reports.
Earlier reports from Russia's TASS news agency mentioned that Putin updated Kim about his impending meeting with Trump during their call; however, such specifics were not included in the KCNA's report.
The KCNA also noted that Putin congratulated North Korea on its upcoming 80th anniversary of liberation on August 15, commemorating Korea's freedom from Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and agreed to enhance their communications in the future.
In June of the previous year, the leaders of North Korea and Russia formalized a mutual defense treaty in Pyongyang, which stipulates immediate military assistance should either nation face an attack, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.
North Korea has dispatched troops and military resources to aid Russia's war efforts. Russian media has indicated that North Korea will send approximately 5,000 military construction workers along with 1,000 sappers to Kursk to aid in reconstruction initiatives.