SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call to discuss their deepening ties and war efforts against Ukraine, the countries’ state media said Wednesday, ahead of Putin’s planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska.

Putin during the call on Tuesday praised the “bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit” displayed by North Korean troops as they fought with Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region , North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

Recommended Videos

Putin also shared with Kim information about his upcoming talks with Trump scheduled to take place Friday in Alaska, according to Russia’s TASS news agency, citing the Kremlin. The North Korean reports did not me

See Full Page