Politics
Kim pledges North Korea’s full support for Russia
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised his country’s full backing for Russia’s war effort, calling it a “fraternal duty”, the country’s state media KCNA reported on Thursday.
The North Korean leader made the pledge during talks with President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where both leaders attended a grand military parade alongside China’s Xi Jinping.
Kim and Putin held a meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of China’s celebrations to mark the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two in Beijing.
The pair joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at a massive military parade, marking the first such gathering of the three countries’ leaders since the early days of the Cold War.
Kim’s Beijing trip gave him his first chance to meet Putin and Xi together, as well as mingle with more than two dozen other national leaders who attended the events.
State media photos showed Kim standing or walking with Putin and Xi side by side, smiling.
“Comrade Kim Jong Un and President Putin exchanged candid opinions on important international and regional issues,” KCNA said.
Putin “highly praised” North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine and said relations between the two countries were “special ones of trust, friendship and alliance”, according to KCNA.
North Korea has sent soldiers, artillery ammunition and missiles to Russia to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
South Korea’s intelligence agency estimated this week that some 2,000 North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia have been killed.
It believes North Korea plans to send another 6,000 troops, with about 1,000 combat soldiers already in Russia.
Kim and Putin discussed in detail their long-term partnership plans and reaffirmed their “steadfast will” to strengthen bilateral relations, KCNA said.
Last year, the two leaders signed a mutual defence treaty, which calls for each side to assist the other in the event of an armed attack.
US President Donald Trump on Friday said India and Russia seem to have been “lost” to China after their leaders met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, highlighting his split from New Delhi and Moscow as Beijing pushes a new world order.
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump wrote in a social media post accompanying a photo of the three other world leaders together at Xi’s summit in China.
Asked about Trump’s post, the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters in New Delhi that he had no comment.
Representatives for Beijing and Moscow could not be immediately reached for comment on Trump’s post on his Truth Social platform.
Xi hosted more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin and Modi were see holding hands at the summit as they walked toward Xi before all three men stood side by side.
Modi’s warming ties with China comes as Trump has chilled US-India ties amid trade tensions and other disputes. Trump earlier this week said he was “very disappointed” in Putin but not worried about growing Russia-China ties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any Western forces sent to Ukraine would be considered a “legitimate” target for Moscow’s military. His remarks came a day after Kyiv’s allies confirmed plans to deploy troops if a peace deal is reached.
On Thursday, two dozen countries, led by France and Britain, pledged to join a “reassurance” force across land, sea, and air to monitor any agreement.
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Putin said, “If some troops appear there, especially during active fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets.”
He added that the deployment of such forces would not support long-term peace and cited Ukraine’s growing military ties with the West as one of the “root causes” of the conflict.
Ukraine’s allies have not provided detailed information about the plan, including troop numbers or each country’s specific role.
Kyiv maintains that security guarantees backed by Western forces are essential to prevent Russia from restarting its offensive.
Since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022, tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and much of eastern and southern Ukraine has been devastated.
Putin said if a deal could be struck, there was no need for the troops.
“If decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply don’t see the point in their presence on the territory of Ukraine.
“Because if deals are reached, let no one doubt that Russia will comply with them in full,” he said.
Ukraine and the West point to a long list of times Russia has broken agreements, including between 2014 and 2022, when Moscow-backed separatists were fighting Kyiv’s army in the east of the country.
- Dozen countries vow to join “reassurance” force in Ukraine.
- Deployment of force not conducive to long-term peace: Putin.
- He says Moscow will comply with deals if they’re reached.
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine would be a “legitimate” target for Moscow’s army, a day after Kyiv’s allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal.
Two dozen countries, led by France and Britain, pledged Thursday to join a “reassurance” force on land, at sea and in the air to patrol any deal.
“If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” Putin said at an economic forum in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
He added that the deployment of such a force was not conducive to long-term peace and said Ukraine’s closer military ties with the West were one of what he calls the “root causes” of the conflict.
Ukraine’s allies have not revealed any specific details of the plan, including how many troops it would involve and how specific countries would contribute.
Kyiv says security guarantees, backed by Western troops, are crucial to any peace deal to ensure Russia does not re-launch its offensive in the future.
Tens of thousands have been killed since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022, forcing millions from their homes and destroying much of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin said if a deal could be struck, there was no need for the troops.
“If decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply don’t see the point in their presence on the territory of Ukraine.
“Because if deals are reached, let no one doubt that Russia will comply with them in full,” he said.
Ukraine and the West point to a long list of times Russia has broken agreements, including between 2014 and 2022, when Moscow-backed separatists were fighting Kyiv’s army in the east of the country.
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