Putin rings up North Korea's Kim Jong Un ahead of Trump summit in Alaska, discusses US-Russia talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the development of bilateral ties under a strategic partnership agreement signed last year, North Korea’s state-run television KRT said on Wednesday (August 13). KRT said both leaders confirmed their will to strengthen cooperation in the future while not mentioning Putin’s planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska this week, which the Kremlin said the Russian leader had briefed Kim about during the call that was held on Tuesday (August 12). According to KRT, Putin expressed appreciation for North Korea’s help in “liberating” the Kursk region in western Russia in the war against Ukraine, praising the “bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit” of Korean People’s Army troops.