North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Song Hui praised the “spiritual closeness” between the two countries.
Published October 27, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the latest high-level talks between the two countries, which strengthened ties during the Ukraine war.
Video released by Russia’s state news agency showed Putin greeting Choi in the Kremlin on Monday. Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov also attended the meeting.
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According to Russia’s Sputnik news agency, Putin said the two countries’ “relations and development prospects” were proceeding “as planned” and paid tribute to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Meanwhile, in a meeting with Lavrov, Choi praised the “spiritual closeness” of the bilateral relationship and conveyed Kim’s “warm wishes.”
Russia and North Korea are both under extensive Western sanctions, but they have significantly strengthened ties in recent years, including signing a 2024 defense pact that commits both countries to providing military support to the other in the event of an “invasion.”
Since then, North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, and at least 600 of them have died in the fighting, according to estimates in Seoul and Kiev.
North Korea first acknowledged its soldiers’ involvement in the war in April, saying they helped Russia retake the strategic Kursk region following a counterattack by Ukrainian forces.
A few days ago, Kim held a ceremony in Pyongyang to mark the opening of a museum commemorating North Korean soldiers who died in the conflict. He said their deployment marked “the beginning of a new history of militant solidarity” with Russia, which he said was an “invincible” ally.
Putin last met Kim in person on September 3 in Beijing, where the two leaders held an official meeting after attending a military parade hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the time, President Putin praised North Korean soldiers who fought “bravely and heroically” in the Ukraine war.
“I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices made by your military and military families,” Putin said.
Deepening ties between Russia and North Korea have raised concerns in the United States, which says there is evidence that Russia is increasing its technological assistance to North Korea, including its space and satellite programs. After Putin and Kim Jong Un’s September meeting, US President Donald Trump claimed they were colluding against the US, a statement rejected by the Kremlin.
