North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed “full support” for Russia during a phone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, ahead of Putin’s planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday that the call took place a day earlier — marking the first time North Korea has publicly acknowledged its leader’s phone talks with a foreign head of state.

According to KCNA, Kim reaffirmed North Korea’s commitment to the DPRK-Russia mutual defense treaty signed in June 2024, pledging to back “all measures” taken by the Russian leadership. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

Putin reportedly praised the “bravery, heroism, and self-sacrifice” of Korean People’s Army troops who assisted in the liberation of Russia’s Kursk region. North Korea has sent troops, weapons, and is set to dispatch 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to support reconstruction efforts in Kursk.

Russia’s TASS news agency said Putin also briefed Kim on his upcoming meeting with Trump, though KCNA did not mention this detail. The Alaska summit is expected to focus on ending Moscow’s war with Ukraine.

During the call, Putin congratulated North Korea on the upcoming 80th anniversary of its liberation from Japan’s colonial rule on August 15. Both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation and maintain closer contact in the future.

The DPRK-Russia defense pact requires both sides to provide immediate military aid if either is attacked. Analysts say Kim’s explicit endorsement of Moscow ahead of the U.S.-Russia talks signals Pyongyang’s deepening alignment with Russia amid growing geopolitical tensions.