According to Today's Russia (RT), on July 19, Russian President Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow and expressed gratitude to North Korea for its assistance in liberating Kursk Oblast last year.
Putin Meets with North Korean Foreign Minister RT
Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said, "Putin held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hi at the Kremlin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President's Assistant Yuri Ushakov attended the talks."
Peсков said, "At the beginning of the talks, President Putin highly praised the bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea. He took this opportunity to once again thank the North Korean leadership and people for their assistance during the 'special military operation'. He emphasized that the contributions of North Korean soldiers in assisting Russian troops in combat will never be forgotten by Russia, and they have been awarded national medals."
In April this year, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Beloousov visited North Korea and awarded the Russian “Brave Medal” to North Korean soldiers who participated in the liberation of Kursk Oblast. He referred to the North Korean soldiers as “true heroes of our time, the elites of the North Korean armed forces, their pride and pillars of strength.” He stated that Russia was willing to sign the Russian-North Korean Military Cooperation Plan for the period 2027–2031.
