Russia’s Vladimir Putin has thanked Kim Jong Un for the courage of his troops who have been fighting in Ukraine on the Russian side.

The two leaders met on Wednesday in Beijing as China held one of its largest ever military parades, which commemorated 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Asia.

It marked the first time the North Korean leader has attended an international gathering of world leaders. He rarely leaves North Korea, and usually only meets leaders one-on-one.

Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, said bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea are friendly and that Pyongyang’s military helped to liberate the Kursk region.

“Your soldiers fought courageously and heroically,” Putin told Kim during Wednesday’s talks.

“I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices that your armed forces and the families of your servicemen have suffered.”

Kim expressed his gratitude for the Russian leader’s acknowledgement of North Korea’s troops and said bilateral relations between the two countries had been “advancing across all areas” – referencing Pyongyang’s involvement in the “joint struggle” with Russia in Ukraine.

“If there is any way we can assist Russia, we will certainly do it as a fraternal duty.”

According to South Korea, the North has sent some 15,000 troops to aid Russia in its invasion, along with missiles and long-range weapons. In return, it is believed North Korea received food, money and technical help.

These soldiers have been involved in Moscow’s efforts to recapture parts of western Kursk – where Ukrainians are defending a small area of territory captured during a surprise incursion in August – and are thought to have sustained heavy losses.

Western officials said in January that at least 1,000 had died in just three months. Two months later, Seoul lawmakers said they believed there were about 4,700 North Korean casualties, including 600 deaths, out of a total deployment of 15,000.

The North Korean troops, who lack any previous combat experience, are believed to have spent their first weeks in Russia in training before going into support roles.

The North Korean leader entered Tiananmen Square walking next to Xi and Putin, before taking a seat alongside them. All three could be seen talking comfortably together.

Kim has long been isolated, treated as a pariah, and even mocked – but today he has been elevated almost to the same level as two very powerful world players.

Part of Kim’s motivation to break with tradition and attend the parade today will no doubt have been the opportunity to appear alongside Xi and Putin so prominently, as their equals.

These leaders are sending a clear message to the West – particularly the United States – that three of them are now closely aligned.

It is also the third meeting in two years between Putin and Kim at a time when Moscow and Pyongyang are deepening their co-operation.

Last June, Putin and Kim signed a deal pledging that Russia and North Korea will help each other in the event of “aggression” against either country.

At the time, Kim hailed the treaty as the “strongest ever”. He reaffirmed this support a few weeks ago when he offered Moscow his “unconditional support” on the war in Ukraine.

Pyongyang first publicly acknowledged sending troops to Russia in April, months after Ukraine and the West revealed the large-scale troop movement from North Korea to the Russian-Ukrainian frontline.

Apart from soldiers, North Korea also promised to send thousands of workers to help rebuild Russia’s war-torn Kursk region, Moscow’s security chief said in June.

Speaking on Tuesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back at Putin.

“These days in China, Putin keeps spinning his tales – as if he is not responsible for the war. As if someone always ‘forces’ him to fight, to kill, to drive children into shelters, to send thousands of people to storm our positions.

“The only thing he refuses to be “forced” into is peace. Russia continues to launch strikes. Of course, we will respond”.

Russia will feel the “consequences of its audacity,” Zelensky added.

In a separate post on his Truth Social social media platform, President Donald Trump accused Putin, Xi and Kim of conspiring against the US; something the Kremlin said it hoped Trump was being “ironic”.

Last week during a special ceremony, the North Korean leader met families of soldiers killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine.

During the event, Kim said he was filled with “sorrow” at failing to bring the soldiers back alive, pledging to build a monument in their honour and to look after their children.