Putin Thanks North Korea For Sending Troops To Fight Ukraine: 'will Never Forget The Heroism'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday thanked North Korea for sending troops to conflict alongside Russia successful Moscow's warfare against Ukraine and vowed not to hide their sacrifices.

Putin's comments came conscionable hours aft North Korea confirmed for nan first clip that it had deployed troops to conflict Ukrainian forces.

Russia said 2 days earlier that its troops had afloat reclaimed nan Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces seized past year. Ukrainian officials person denied Russia's declare and said that nan cognition successful definite areas of Kursk is ongoing.

In a statement, Putin praised North Korean troops who he said fought "shoulder to enarthrosis pinch Russian fighters, defended our Motherland arsenic their own."

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Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea for sending troops to conflict alongside Russia successful Moscow's warfare against Ukraine. (Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Kremlin via REUTERS)

"The Russian group will ne'er hide nan heroism of nan DPRK typical forces," Putin said. "We will ever grant nan heroes who gave their lives for Russia, for our communal freedom, fighting broadside by broadside pinch their Russian brothers successful arms."

Earlier Monday, North Korea's Central Military Commission said nan country's leader, Kim Jong Un, had sent troops to Russia to "annihilate and swipe retired nan Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate nan Kursk area successful practice pinch nan Russian equipped forces." North Korean troops yet made "an important contribution" to Russia seizing nan separator territory, nan committee said.

While this was North Korea's first charismatic confirmation that its troops were deployed to Russia, it has many times expressed its unwavering support of Russia's warfare against Ukraine.

U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence officials person said North Korea deployed 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia past autumn successful its first engagement successful a awesome equipped conflict since nan Korean War successful nan early 1950s.

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Putin promised not to hide nan sacrifices of North Korean troops sent to thief Russia conflict Ukrainian forces. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Putin and Kim said nan deployment of North Korean troops was made nether a communal defense pact signed successful June 2024 that requires some countries to usage each disposable intends to supply contiguous subject assistance if either is attacked.

The 2 U.S. adversaries person moved importantly person to each different successful caller years.

In summation to its deployment of troops, North Korea has been supplying a ample number of accepted weapons to Russia. South Korea and nan U.S. are concerned that Russia could reward North Korea pinch subject and economical assistance, including by transferring high-tech weapons technologies that tin bolster its atomic weapons program.

Kim citing North Korea’s domiciled successful Russia regaining power of nan Kursk region suggests his urgent desire to person what he wants from Russia, including its delicate subject technologies and a coagulated information committedness to North Korea, according to Moon Seong Mook, an expert for nan Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia could supply subject assistance to North Korea if basal successful accordance pinch nan defense treaty, Russian authorities media reported.

The deployment of North Korean troops was made nether a communal defense pact signed successful June 2024. (Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via Reuters/File Photo)

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North Korea and Russia did not disclose really galore North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia aliases really galore casualties they suffered. But past month, South Korea’s subject assessed that astir 4,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed aliases wounded successful nan Russia-Ukraine war. The South Korean subject besides said North Korea sent astir 3,000 further troops to Russia earlier this year.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry connected Monday called connected North Korea to retreat its troops from Russia immediately, arguing that nan North’s support of Russia’s penetration of Ukraine poses a sedate provocation to world security. Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam besides called nan North’s deployment of troops "an enactment against humanity."

If Russia’s retaking of Kursk is confirmed, it would deprive Ukraine of cardinal leverage successful U.S.-brokered efforts to discuss an extremity to nan warfare by exchanging its gains for immoderate Russia-occupied onshore successful Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he doubts Putin wants to extremity nan war. Just a time before, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were "very adjacent to a deal."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.