Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Alexander Shcherbak/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP
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Alexander Shcherbak/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP
SEOUL, South Korea — In a recent diplomatic meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to North Korea for its support in the conflict against Ukraine, according to Russian state media. Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, marking another high-level exchange between the two nations.
Choe Son Hui’s visit to Russia occurred without a specific event or anniversary to justify it, leading to speculation that she might be organizing a potential visit from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Russia. North Korean state media reported that Choe traveled to Russia on Saturday following an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, but the purpose of her visit has not been officially disclosed.
Yoon Min Ho, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which deals with North Korean affairs, stated on Monday that South Korea is closely watching the meetings. However, he did not comment on whether another summit between the leaders of Moscow and Pyongyang is being discussed.
According to Russia’s Tass news agency, during the Kremlin meeting, Putin praised the bilateral relations and reiterated his appreciation to North Korea’s leadership and citizens for their support of Russia’s military actions against Ukraine. Choe conveyed to Putin that Kim remains dedicated to enhancing relations with Russia, the agency reported.
Kim Jong Un has previously visited Russia’s Far East for meetings with Putin in 2019 and 2023. During a summit in Pyongyang in June 2024, Putin extended an invitation to Kim to visit Russia again, where they signed a strategic partnership agreement promising mutual assistance in the event of aggression against either country.
In recent years, Kim has prioritized Russia in his foreign policy, deploying troops and supplying weapons to aid Putin’s war efforts in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for economic and technological assistance that experts believe are advancing North Korea’s military capabilities.
Kim has also sought to strengthen ties with China, hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit in Pyongyang in June, as part of a strategy to align with Beijing against Washington in what he views as a “new Cold War.”
Choe’s Moscow visit took place shortly after North Korea and China exchanged high-level visits, with North Korean Cabinet Premier Pak Thae Song meeting Xi Jinping in Beijing, and Wang Huning, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee, visiting Kim in Pyongyang this month.
Since his nuclear negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019, Kim has halted significant dialogue with the United States and South Korea. He has leveraged the ongoing war in Ukraine to expedite his nuclear and missile program development, while demanding that the U.S. drop its insistence on North Korea’s nuclear disarmament as a condition for talks.
