Vladimir Putin thanks Kim Jong-un for supplying North Korean troops to fight Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin has thanked the North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un for supplying troops to fight alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.

The comment came during a meeting between the two allies on Wednesday at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing.

Hours earlier, the Russian and the North Korean leaders were Chinese President Xi Jinping's guests of honour at a military parade in China's capital to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

In his remarks to Kim, Putin spoke warmly of their countries' alliance, which was strengthened last June by the signing of a defence pact.

Putin then praised the bravery of the troops Pyongyang has sent Moscow to help with its war against Kyiv.

"Your soldiers fought courageously and heroically," Putin said.

"I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices that your armed forces and the families of your servicemen have suffered," he added.

North Korea has sent roughly 15,000 troops since last year to Russia, according to South Korean intelligence reports.

Thousands of them are believed to have been killed or wounded during fighting in Russia's Kursk region, where the Ukrainian military gained territory in a surprise offensive in August 2024.

In return for its military support, experts believe that Moscow has sent North Korea goods including military equipment and oil.

Pyongyang, which only publicly acknowledged that it had dispatched soldiers to near the Russia-Ukraine border in April, has also pledged to send construction workers to help rebuild parts of the war-torn Kursk region.

In their meeting in Beijing, Kim said Russian-North Korean bilateral relations had been "advancing across all areas."

"If there is any way we can assist Russia, we will certainly do it as a fraternal duty," he said.

Their strengthening alliance comes as both Russia and North Korea deal with a raft of international sanctions, with Moscow targeted over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Pyongyang over its nuclear programme.

Wednesday's military parade marked the first time since early in the Cold War that the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea had all met together. It was also the first multilateral event attended by Kim in his 14-year reign.

Responding to the events in Beijing, US President Donald Trump took aim at his Chinese counterpart Xi.

"Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against the United States of America," he said in a social media post referencing the Chinese president.