Putin meets Kim envoy after Chinese official's North Korea visit

Soo-Hyang Choi, Bloomberg News on Jul 19, 2026

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Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea for its support in the war in Ukraine during talks with Pyongyang’s top diplomat.

“I highly value the mutual understanding on all issues and friendly relations between us,” according to the Russian state-run news service Tass on Sunday, which cited Putin’s comments in a meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.

Choe left for Russia on Saturday at the invitation of her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, marking her first Russia trip since October. It follows the visit of a senior Chinese delegation to North Korea, which included a meeting with Kim Jong Un.

The high-level engagements underscore North Korea’s efforts to capitalize on its deepening ties with both China and Russia after emerging as a key ally of Putin in his war against Ukraine.

After years of strained relations with Beijing and warming ties with Moscow, Kim has recently been restoring ties with China — its primary backer for decades. Those efforts were highlighted by President Xi Jinping’s first Pyongyang visit in seven years in June.

The latest Chinese delegation, led by Wang Huning, a top official at the Chinese Communist Party, wrapped up its three-day trip at a beach resort on North Korea’s east coast, signaling a potential return of Chinese group tourists to the isolated nation.

During his June visit, Xi vowed to expand China’s trade, agricultural and technology cooperation with North Korea, as well as promote tourism.