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Vladimir Putin despised Kim Jong-un long before the Ukraine conflict erupted in February 2022, as revealed by his former speechwriter.
In recent years, however, diplomatic ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have significantly strengthened, with the Russian president and the North Korean leader signing a mutual defense pact last summer.
More recently, Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean troops to Russia, aiming to support their efforts in the war against Ukraine, which has been ongoing for nearly three years.
However, Abbas Gallyamov, who wrote speeches for the Russian head of state from 2008 to 2012, noted that Putin only turned to the North Korean leader because he needs manpower.
“That’s the only reason he needs North Korean soldiers. I don’t know what he gave in return—probably money. Their relationship is becoming very close. Putin feels he’s becoming a pariah, just like Kim, and so he no longer looks down on him as he once did,” he explained to the Daily Express.
“He hadn’t visited North Korea for 25 years. Kim was clearly a pariah. Putin didn’t want to be a pariah; he wanted to stay in the mainstream,” he added.
