Kim Jong-un says Russia will win "a great victory", praises his army in Ukraine

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un assured Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that Russia will achieve "a great victory" against its mainly Western enemies, while praising the "heroic" Russian army in Ukraine, during an official dinner at a cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. 

"We are convinced that the Russian army and people will undoubtedly win a great victory in the sacred struggle to punish the gathering of evil," Kim told his Russian counterpart, according to statements in Korean translated by Russian agencies.

"Our visit comes at a time when a fierce confrontation is taking place on the international scene between progress and reaction, justice and injustice, and when the process of multipolarity in the world is developing vigorously thanks to the common will and cohesion of independent forces," Kim added in front of Putin. 

On Ukraine, the North Korean leader praised the "heroic" Russian army, which has been involved in a military operation in its neighbouring country for more than a year and a half and has been facing a counter-offensive by Kiev troops since June. 

"I am deeply convinced that the heroic Russian army and people will be brilliant heirs to the tradition of victory (...) on the fronts of the Russian special military operation" in Ukraine. 

Finally, he called for a toast to the "health" of the Russian president and the "new victories of great Russia".

The US believes that the meeting between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin in Russia may lead to an agreement on arms sales to support the offensive in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he sees "possibilities" for military cooperation with North Korea, despite international sanctions against the country over its nuclear and developing missile programmes.

"There are certain restrictions. Russia respects all those restrictions. But there are things we can certainly talk about, we discuss them, we think about them. And there are possibilities as well," Putin said on Russian state television at the end of a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.