Putin Holds Conversation With North Korea's Kim Jong Un In 'Warm Comradely Atmosphere' Ahead Of Trump's Meet

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have pledged to deepen their cooperation, according to Pyongyang's state media on Wednesday, just days before Putin's scheduled summit with Donald Trump in Alaska.

During the call on Tuesday, Putin thanked Kim for supporting his war on Ukraine as the two leaders“exchanged views on the issues of mutual concern,” North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said. The Kremlin had earlier said Putin shared information with Kim“in the context of the upcoming talks” with Trump.

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“Kim Jong Un expressed firm conviction that the DPRK would always remain faithful to the spirit of the DPRK-Russia treaty and fully support all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future,” KCNA said, referring to a mutual defence pact the two leaders signed last year. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The phone conversation, which was held in a“warm comradely atmosphere ,” according to North Korea, took place just three days before Putin and Trump are set to meet in Alaska as part of the latest US effort to negotiate a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict, now in its fourth year.

Russia and North Korea have strengthened their relationship in recent years, with Pyongyang providing both troops and weaponry to support Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

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The two nations formalised their growing alliance by signing a mutual defence agreement during Putin's visit to North Korea last year.

In April, North Korea officially acknowledged for the first time that it had sent a group of soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces on the Ukrainian front lines.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to lay the groundwork for Friday's summit between their respective presidents, while cautioning that the meeting is unlikely to yield a breakthrough in the Ukraine war.

“Both sides confirmed their commitment to ensure a successful event,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. Bruce didn't elaborate on the contents of the call.

Putin has demanded that Ukraine give up the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, an idea that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected. Trump has suggested he's on board with the idea of Russia and Ukraine swapping some territory.

Trump said he would again pressure Putin on Friday to end the war and that it was important for the Russian leader to meet with Zelensky, Bloomberg reported.

“The president is agreeing to this meeting at the request of President Putin,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.“And the goal of this meeting for the president is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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