Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s strategic partnership with North Korea in a phone call with Kim Jong Un, praising Pyongyang’s military support in Ukraine and coordinating positions ahead of Putin’s pivotal summit with Donald Trump. This diplomatic engagement highlights deepening Russia-North Korea ties amid Western isolation and comes as reports emerge of exploitative labor conditions for North Korean workers in Russia.
**Who:**
The primary actors are Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump. Secondary stakeholders include Ukraine (affected by military collaboration), South Korea (monitoring regional security threats), and thousands of North Korean laborers sent to Russia under bilateral agreements.
**What:**
Putin and Kim held a phone conversation where Putin explicitly praised North Korea’s military contributions to Russia’s war in Ukraine, including troop deployments and weapon supplies. The leaders committed to expanding “friendship relations, good-neighbourliness and cooperation” (per Kremlin statements). Putin also briefed Kim on preparations for his upcoming Alaska summit with Trump—their first face-to-face meeting since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
**When:**
The call occurred on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, just three days before the planned Putin-Trump summit in Alaska (Friday, August 15). This timing coincides with renewed Russian military advances in eastern Ukraine, where North Korean troops reportedly aided recent gains near Dobropillia.
**Where:**
Kim participated from an undisclosed location in North Korea, while Putin is presumed to have spoken from Russia. The call sets the stage for high-stakes talks in Alaska—a neutral venue symbolizing the summit’s focus on global rather than bilateral U.S.-Russia issues.
**Why:**
The partnership serves mutual interests: Russia offsets battlefield losses and sanctions-driven isolation through North Korean manpower and arms, while Pyongyang gains economic relief and political leverage. The call strategically positions Putin before engaging Trump, showcasing Russia’s alliances to strengthen his negotiating hand on Ukraine.
**How:**
Collaboration includes deploying at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, artillery transfers, and labor exports. South Korean intelligence reports reveal over 50,000 North Korean workers are being sent to Russian construction sites under “slave-like” conditions—a claim supported by worker testimonies describing withheld wages and surveillance.
**Impact:**
The alliance intensifies battlefield challenges for Ukraine, complicates Western sanctions enforcement, and raises humanitarian concerns over labor exploitation. Globally, it undermines non-proliferation efforts by facilitating arms transfers to a sanctioned regime and could provoke escalated responses from South Korea and Japan.
**What’s Next:**
The Alaska summit will test Trump’s ability to negotiate territorial concessions or ceasefires in Ukraine. Regardless of outcomes, continued Russia-North Korea collaboration may trigger harsher sanctions and influence regional security dynamics, including potential arms buildups in Northeast Asia.