Kim tells Putin: I support your sacred fight against West

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that Russia was fighting a sacred war with the West and that the two countries would together battle with "imperialism".
"Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security... against the hegemonic forces," Kim told Putin via a translator.
"We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership... and we will be together in the fight against imperialism."

Kim Jong Un told Vladimir Putin via a translator that he was sure that the Russian army and people would triumph against "evil", in what he cast as the West's imperialism in the war in Ukraine.
Before proposing a toast to Putin's health, the victory of "great Russia", Korean-Russian friendship and the health of all those present, Kim said he was confident Russia would win in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
"I am deeply convinced that the heroic Russian army and people will brilliantly inherit the tradition of victory, confidently demonstrate invaluable dignity and honour on the fronts of the special military operation," Kim said via a translator before raising a glass of wine.
"The Russian army and people will certainly win a great victory in the sacred struggle for the punishment of a great evil that claims hegemony and feeds an expansionist illusion," Kim added.

Putin and Kim were offered a menu including duck and fig salad, crab dumplings, sturgeon and beef with a choice of Russian wines, according to Kremlin reporters.
Western intelligence agencies suspect that Russia is looking to acquire North Korean weapons and ammunition to use in its military campaign in Ukraine, something both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied.
Kim Jong-Un said that relations with Russia are "the very first priority" for his country.
Meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russian spaceport Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur region in the Far East, where he was invited, the North Korean leader thanked Putin for the warm reception and praised Russia's role and achievements in space exploration.
Kim said the Russian-North Korean friendship has "deep roots," and the Soviet Union played "a very important role in the liberation of the country," according to the Kremlin.
"And now, relations with the Russian Federation are the very first priority for our country. I am sure that our joint meeting will be another moment to raise our relations to a new level," he said.
For his part, the Russian president noted the meeting is taking place during the year when the two nations celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, and very soon Pyongyang will mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the War of Independence and the victory of the Korean people in this war.
"Of course, we need to talk about economic cooperation and humanitarian issues as well," he said.
Putin and Kim then visited several facilities of the cosmodrome and also examined the construction of the new infrastructure.
The Russian president also showed the North Korean leader Russia's Aurus, a family of executive and upper-class cars.
Vostochny is the first Russian civilian cosmodrome. It is located in the Amur region near the city of Tsiolkovsky. The construction began in 2012, and the first launch from Vostochny was carried out in 2016.