Putin speaks to Kim Jong Un before meeting with Trump

Russian dictator vladimir putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had a phone conversation on August 12, in which they discussed the war in Ukraine ahead of the russian leader's planned summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska.

This was reported by Bloomberg.

North Korean state media reported that during the conversation, putin thanked Kim for his support for the war in Ukraine. They "exchanged views on issues of mutual concern." The Kremlin previously said that putin shared information with Kim "in the context of future talks" with Trump.

"Kim Jong Un expressed his firm belief that the DPRK will always remain faithful to the spirit of the Korean-russian treaty and will fully support all measures taken by the russian leadership in the future," the media reported.

Kim and putin agreed to further strengthen their partnership and "establish closer contacts in the future."

The phone call, which North Korea said was held in a "warm friendly atmosphere," came just three days before putin and Trump met in Alaska.

Kim has become a key ally of putin in his war in Ukraine, helping to bolster Moscow's combat presence on the ground while raising concerns about North Korea's ability to build up its military and maintain its regime with russian support.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, North Korea said in July it was ready to fully support russia in its foreign policy actions, including aggression against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump will meet one on one with russian leader vladimir putin.

On August 11, US President Donald Trump explained why he had not tightened sanctions and imposed tariffs against the aggressor country of russia, as he had repeatedly said before.

On August 10, The New York Times reported that the meeting with Trump was an ideal opportunity for putin to end the war on his own terms and split NATO.