BEIJING – Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have met to begin bilateral talks in Beijing.

The leaders held a formal meeting at the Diaoyutai state guest house following a significant military parade in Beijing that commemorated the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II.

Putin and Kim traveled from a formal reception to the negotiations in the same car, the Kremlin said in a post on social media.

At the onset of their discussion, Putin acknowledged the courage and valor of North Korean soldiers who collaborated with Russian forces to fend off a Ukrainian attack in the Kursk region of Russia.

According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last year.

Kim Jong Un expressed, as reported by the Russian state media outlet Tass, that it was North Korea’s “brotherly obligation” to offer any form of aid to Russia.