Ukraine war latest: Putin says Russia appreciates North Korea's support on Ukraine; Russian missiles launched in training exercise (2024)

Vladimir Putin says that Moscow and Pyongyang will sign an agreement that will bolster their ties.

The Russian president is in North Korea for the first time in 24 years as he strengthens ties with the country and its leader Kim Jong Un.

Speaking at the start of his talks with Mr Kim, the Russian leader said in remarks carried by Russian state TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies that the "new fundamental document will form the basis of our ties for a long perspective."

Putin also hailed a "close friendship" between the two countries based on "equality and respect of mutual interests."

Nuclear-powered submarines of Russia's Northern Fleet reportedly launched cruise missiles at sea targets as part of exercises inthe Barents Sea today.

The Severodvinsk and the Orel nuclear-powered submarines fired Kalibr and Granit cruise missiles a distance of about 106 miles at a target simulating a detachment of landing ships of a mock enemy, the Interfax news agency reported.

"According to objective control data, the combat exercise was completed successfully," Interfax said, citing the fleet statement.

"The missile weapons used have once again confirmed their inherent characteristics and high reliability."

The missile firing area was closed in advance to civilian shipping and aviation flights.

The Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean and is located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. It is divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.

We start the day in Pyongyang where Vladimir Putin is visiting for the first time in 24 years.

The Russian president was given a warm welcome by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when he landed at Pyongyang Airport.

Mr Putin already thanked North Korea for its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine ahead of his visit and reinforced that sentiment today.

Russian state-run news agency RIA cited President Vladimir Putinas saying: "We highly appreciate your consistent and unwavering supportfor Russian policy, including in the Ukrainian direction."

Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Yesterday, Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea for the first time in 24 years.

The Russian president was greeted by the country's leader Kim Jong Un as he landed at Pyongyang Airport.

Details of their brief conversation emerged hours later, with the Korean Central News Agency reporting the pair shared their "pent up inmost thoughts" with each other.

The North Korean state news organisation said the conversation was "friendly" and came as their relationship "entered a course of new comprehensive development".

It added that Mr Putin's visit was important in "powerfully propelling the cause of building a powerful country".

There'll be more updates from his visit throughout the day.

Before we start bringing you the latest developments, here's the other key moments from the last 24 hours:

• Ukraine claimed responsibility for a strike on an oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region, which caused a huge fire to break out;
• The UK's defence ministry said Russian forces had moved closer to a key supply route in the eastern Donetsk region after taking control of a village;
• Ukraine opened an investigation after its prosecutor general said a soldier had been beheaded by Russian troops;
• Several countries, including Iraq and Rwanda, had their signatures withdrawn from a communique signed at last weekend's Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland.
  

That's all of our live coverage on the conflict for now.

We'll bring you any major developments overnight, and we'll be back with our regular updates in the morning.

More details about Vladimir Putin's arrival in North Korea have started coming through...

The Russian president arrived in the country for the first time in 24 years earlier this evening, and was greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The two men had a brief conversation and then left Pyongyang Airport in the same car.

Now, Korean Central News Agency has reported that the pair shared their "pent up inmost thoughts" with each other and "opened their minds".

The North Korean state news organisation said the conversation was "friendly" and came as their relationship "entered a course of new comprehensive development".

It added that Putin's visit was important in "powerfully propelling the cause of building a powerful country".

Of course, the Korean Central News Agency's original reporting is in Korean, so there may be some discrepancies in the translation.

The destruction of Russian targets in border regions "really matters", Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said as he praised world leaders for their determination to protect Ukraine,

Delivering his nightly address, the Ukrainian president said: "The destruction of Russian terrorists' positions and launchers by our forces, our warriors, near the border really matters.

"We witness the world's determination opening new prospects for restoring our security. Among other things, this includes the security of Kharkiv."

His comments come after Ukraine claimed responsibility for an overnight drone attack on a Russian oil facility.

The strike caused a massive blaze in Russia's Rostov region and marked the latest long-range attack by Kyiv's forces on a border region.

Ukraine has in recent months stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals, in an effort to slow down the Kremlin's war effort.

At the same time, Moscow's army has been pressing hard along the front line in eastern Ukraine, where a shortage of troops and ammunition has made defenders vulnerable.

As we have been reporting this evening, Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea for the first time in 24 years to begin a two-day visit.

The Russian president was greeted by North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, with the men seen laughing and hugging as they had a conversation near Putin's plane.

A red carpet was rolled out for his arrival as well.

The US has said it is concerned about the "deepening" cooperation between Russia and the North Korea.

The Pentagon voicedconcern about the growing ties between Moscow andPyongyang as Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea for his first visit in 24 years.

"The deepening cooperation between Russia and the DPRK issomething that should be of concern, especially to anyone that's interested in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagonspokesperson, told reporters.

DPRK is an abbreviation for North Korea's official name, theDemocratic People's Republic of Korea.

We have just received the first photos of Vladimir Putin arriving in North Korea.

The Russian president was greeted by the country's leader Kim Jong Un as he left his plane.

The pair hugged and had a brief conversation before leaving in the same car.