Putin thanks North Korean soldiers

Russian forces have found brothers in arms in troops deployed by Pyongyang to repel Ukraine’s incursion, according to a presidential message

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday expressed gratitude to North Korean soldiers and the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, for the role they played in repelling a Ukrainian incursion.

The Russian military reported last week the full liberation of border areas of Kursk Region, which Kiev seized last August, acknowledging for the first time that North Korean troops had participated in the operation.

“North Korean friends acted in the spirit of solidarity, justice and true camaraderie,” Putin said in a statement. Pyongyang’s mission was launched in connection with a bilateral treaty signed last June, which includes mutual defense clauses.

“We appreciate the heroism, high level of specialized training and bravery of North Korean warriors, who defended our Homeland as their own, standing shoulder to shoulder with Russian fighters,” the message added. “They followed their duty with honor and valor and have covered themselves in timeless glory.”

Putin pledged that North Korean soldiers who lost their lives in the mission will be honored “on par with their Russian brothers in arms.”

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Pyongyang commented on the deployment in Russia earlier in the day, describing the Ukrainian troops in Kursk Region as “neo-Nazi” forces and saying it had helped frustrate an “adventurous political and military attempt of the Western forces and the Ukrainian authorities” to turn the tide in the broader Ukraine conflict.

Ukrainian officials claimed that the incursion was meant to distract Moscow’s forces from other parts of the frontline and give Kiev leverage in eventual peace talks in the form of captured Russian territory. The Kremlin views it as a provocation and an attempt to further escalate hostilities.

The administration of then-US President Joe Biden claimed that Ukraine’s use of Western-donated weapons against internationally-recognized parts of Russia was justified by the presence of North Korean troops in the country. Prior to that, Kiev had complained that restrictions on cross-border attacks hindered its military.

Current US President Donald Trump has accused Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky of undermining his efforts with public attacks on proposals that Washington reportedly communicated to Kiev behind closed doors.