BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met for bilateral talks in Beijing on Wednesday.
The two leaders met formally at the Diaoyutai state guest house after attending a major military parade in the heart of the Chinese capital that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Putin and Kim traveled from a formal reception to the negotiations in the same car, the Kremlin said in a post on social media. After a bilateral meeting between Russian and North Korean delegations, the two leaders held a one-on-one meeting, the Kremlin said. Putin also invited Kim to visit Russia again, following on from the North Korean leader’s last visit to the country in 2023.
Speaking in front of journalists as the talks began, Putin praised the bravery and heroism of North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Moscow’s troops to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region.
According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last year. It has also sent large quantities of military equipment, including ballistic missiles and artillery, to help fuel Putin’s three-year invasion of Ukraine.
