Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, who is currently visiting the country, on July 19 (local time).

The Kremlin released videos and photos of the meeting, stating, "President Putin once again expressed his gratitude to the North Korean leadership for their assistance in carrying out the special military operation (the war in Ukraine)."

President Putin emphasized, "We highly value the achievements of the North Korean soldiers who supported the Russian military, and the sacrifices and contributions of those North Korean soldiers who received state decorations will never be forgotten in Russia."

He also requested that Foreign Minister Choe convey his "warm regards" to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Expressing her gratitude, Foreign Minister Choe stated, "Chairman Kim Jong-un has recently reaffirmed the strategic direction of comprehensively developing relations with Russia."

This marks Foreign Minister Choe's first visit to Russia in approximately nine months, since October of last year.

The visit drew attention as it did not take place around any specific occasion, such as an anniversary.

Speculation had been raised that discussions might have included a potential visit to Russia by Chairman Kim or the sharing of results from a North Korea-China summit, but no such content was included in the Russian side's announcement.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)