The Russian president and the North Korean leader travel to the talks together in the same car after a formal reception.
Published On 3 Sep 2025
A Kremlin aide has dismissed remarks by United States President Donald Trump that Russian, Chinese and North Korean leaders were conspiring against the United States, saying “no one even had this in their thoughts”.
The comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks in Beijing on Wednesday, where both leaders praised the deepening military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Earlier, the meeting was held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse after the two leaders attended a military parade in central Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over commemorations in Tiananmen Square marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and Japan’s surrender.
The event, which showcased thousands of troops and heavy weaponry, drew dozens of world leaders, though almost none from the West, which this event, in part, sent a clear message to.
Putin and Kim travelled to the talks together in the same car after a formal reception, the Kremlin said on social media. Kim was accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, according to images released by North Korean state media.
China promoted the parade as a demonstration of unity, with Kim appearing publicly alongside both Putin and Xi for the first time.
Speaking at the start of the talks, Putin praised the bravery and heroism of North Korean soldiers who he said fought alongside Russian troops in repelling a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s border region of Kursk.
Kim, in turn, said cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang had “significantly strengthened” since the two countries signed a strategic partnership pact in June 2024.
“If there’s anything I can do for you and the people of Russia, if there is more that needs to be done, I will consider it as a fraternal duty, an obligation that we surely need to bear, and will be prepared to do everything possible to help,” Kim said.
South Korean officials estimate North Korea has dispatched about 15,000 soldiers to Russia since last year, along with significant military supplies, including artillery and KN-23 ballistic missiles, to bolster Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
Analysts say Pyongyang is receiving advanced Russian military technology in return, including satellite guidance systems that could further enhance its missile programme.
Putin visited Pyongyang in July 2024 for the first time in 24 years, signing a treaty on “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” with Kim that revived Cold War-era ties between the two sanctioned states. Kim has previously met Putin three times.
North Korea only confirmed it had deployed troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine in April and admitted that its soldiers had been killed in combat.
Last week, Kim met the families of the soldiers killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, offering condolences for their “unbearable pain” and promising the bereaved “a beautiful life”, state media reported.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday that Kim hosted the families of slain soldiers, and expressed “grief at having failed to save the precious lives” of those who sacrificed themselves to defend the country’s honour.
The North Korean leader said his “heart breaks and aches” for the children who lost fathers.
“I, our state and our army will take full responsibility for them and train them admirably as staunch and courageous fighters like their fathers,” he added.