New Delhi, July 19 -- MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in person on Saturday for Pyongyang's military contribution to Russia's operation in Ukraine, describing the deeds of North Korean troops as heroic in remarks delivered at the Kremlin in the presence of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin told Choe that "the heroic deeds of North Korean troops who supported our military would never be forgotten," according to Sputnik, which cited the Kremlin readout. The meeting in Moscow placed the Russia-North Korea military relationship on an explicit, named diplomatic footing for the first time at the Kremlin's own...