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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 12, in a call disclosed by state media for the first time. / Source: Yonhap News

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 12, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation, state media reported on August 13.

This marks the first time Pyongyang has publicly disclosed a phone conversation between Kim and a foreign head of state, underscoring the close alignment between the two countries.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, the two leaders spoke in a “warm, comradely atmosphere.” Kim pledged that “the DPRK will always remain faithful to the spirit of the DPRK–Russia treaty and will fully support all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future.”

Putin, in turn, referenced the deployment of North Korean troops to the Ukraine war, praising “the support provided by the DPRK, as well as the courage, heroism, and self-sacrifice demonstrated by the Korean People’s Army soldiers in the process of liberating the Kursk region.”

When Putin congratulated North Korea on the upcoming 80th anniversary of its liberation on August 15, Kim expressed “sincere gratitude” and said, “Our entire people will solemnly remember the heroic feats of the Red Army soldiers 80 years ago as a true example of genuine internationalism, and will pay noble tribute to the Soviet soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Korea’s liberation.”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said on August 12 that Putin shared details of a recent U.S.–Russia summit during the call, though North Korean media made no mention of it.