North Korea, Russia Reaffirm Ties on Korean Liberation Day Anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the deepening of his country’s ties with Russia in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, Aug. 16. According to Reuters citing KCNA News, the message came as Pyongyang marked the anniversary of independence from Japan’s colonial rule, while Putin marked the 81st anniversary of Tokyo’s surrender in World War II.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Cooperation between the two countries would continue “in all sectors,” Putin said, adding that the bond between Moscow and Pyongyang was forged when Soviet Soldiers fought against Japan. In response, Kim expressed hope for ties that “carried forward the history of common struggle for justice and precious traditions of friendship.” Military cooperation continues while Seoul pushes for dialogue Underscoring the warming relationship, the Russian ship Pallada arrived at North Korea’s Wonsan port for a goodwill visit on Saturday, Aug. 15, where it was greeted by provincial authorities and Russian embassy staff, according to Reuters. That same day, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for talks with North Korea to pursue diplomacy, saying Seoul would seek safeguards to prevent any possible conflict. Lee also urged efforts to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean war, which ended in a ceasefire without a formal peace treaty. Pyongyang responded by rejecting Lee’s overtures, and deemed US-South Korean military exercises to be provocations. Other Topics of Interest Russia’s Supreme Court Upholds Yabloko Ban, Sentences Deputy Chairman to 11 Years in Prison Prosecutors cited a Telegram repost of a Vladimir Putin caricature and calls for a ceasefire as grounds for the sentence. Trump halts joint drills, cites Kim’s “respectful” posture Around the same time, US President Donald Trump announced a sudden halt to the joint military exercises, only hours before they were due to begin. Trump cited Seoul’s lack of assistance with Iran, and his “positive relationship” with Kim. “These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,” Trump said on Truth Social. The US and South Korea have long held joint military drills, with South Korea also hosting the largest US military base – Camp Humphreys – overseas. According to CNN World, South Korea has been a close American ally for over 70 years, and the two nations have a mutual defense treaty designed to protect them from North Korea. Putin’s Kuril visit draws condemnation from allies – including the US The reaffirmed Russia-North Korea ties come just days after Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time in his 26-year tenure on Aug. 13, drawing fresh attention to the decades-long territorial dispute with Japan. Both the US and Ukraine have joined Japan in condemning the visit, with Washington warning against actions that could undermine regional stability and Kyiv reaffirming the Northern Territories as sovereign Japanese territory. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Japan joined Western sanctions against Moscow, straining the relationship further. Japan also emerged as one of Ukraine’s most important allies. In recent months, Trump has also shifted his diplomatic posture towards Russia. Throughout much of the war, he had declined to label Russia an aggressor, at one point even predicting that Ukraine would lose. In July, he expressed newfound respect for Ukraine following its battlefield gains, and even floated the possibility of allowing Ukraine to domestically produce its own Patriot missiles – which Ukraine urgently needs to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles – before rowing back on the idea. Moscow-Pyongyang ties During the course of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Moscow-Pyongang ties have grown significantly deeper. On June 19, 2024, Moscow signed a defense pact with Pyongyang, with both countries officially recognizing North Korean troop deployments in April 2025. Other than supplying troops, North Korea has become one of Russia’s critical wartime partners by also providing weapons. On July 30, Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile in a strike that killed a family of 10 in the Kryvyi Rih district of Dnipropetrovsk region. The strike marked the first suspected use of such a weapon in nearly a year. The first reported use of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia dates back to Dec. 29, 2023, when one missile landed in a field in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Russia deployed the missiles again just days later, on Jan. 2, 2024, during a massive strike on Kharkiv that left two people dead and injured 62 others. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to benefit from Russia’s war, both financially and technologically. By sending munitions and soldiers to the Russian front, North Korea has secured construction materials and energy supplies, fueling its fastest economic growth in years. In July, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) estimated that North Korea supplies between 25% and 40% of Russia’s artillery shells, while the two countries are also nearing completion of their first-ever road bridge over the Tumen River to ease supply flows. On Monday, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army said that Russia might replace up to 20,000 border troops with North Korean soldiers to reinforce the active sectors on the front line. The statement came after Zelensky warned in early August that North Korea might send up to 50,000 soldiers to Russia. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.