Putin meets North Korean FM, thanks Pyongyang for Ukraine support
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- Putin met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Kremlin on Sunday, July 19, 2026, and per Russia's Tass news agency reiterated his "gratitude to the North Korean leadership and people" for backing Russia's military operations against Ukraine.
- Choe told Putin that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un remains committed to the "comprehensive development" of relations with Russia, according to Tass.
- The visit carried no obvious occasion such as a multilateral diplomatic event or state anniversary, fueling speculation that Choe is coordinating a possible Russia trip by Kim Jong Un.
- Kim has sent thousands of troops and large weapons supplies to support Russia's war in Ukraine, reportedly in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers that experts say are advancing North Korea's military capabilities.
- Moscow and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership agreement at their June 2024 summit in Pyongyang pledging mutual aid if either country faces aggression; Kim has previously met Putin in Russia's Far East in 2019 and 2023.
- North Korea simultaneously exchanged high-level visits with China this month — Cabinet premier Pak Thae Song met Xi Jinping in Beijing and Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Huning visited Kim in Pyongyang — as Kim positions Pyongyang as part of a united front against Washington.
- Kim has suspended all meaningful dialogue with the United States and South Korea since the collapse of his 2019 nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump, using the Ukraine war as cover to accelerate his nuclear and missile programs.
Why it matters: Putin is publicly locking in North Korea's wartime backing at a moment when Russia has no obvious reason to host a courtesy meeting, deepening an axis that has already injected thousands of North Korean troops and large weapons stockpiles into the Ukraine fight. The unannounced nature of the talks, combined with Choe's affirmation of Kim's commitment and recent North Korea-China exchanges, signals Pyongyang is consolidating a three-way counter-Washington alignment rather than hedging.
