North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on July 19 and held a "third strategic dialogue" with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with Pyongyang's state media reporting that both sides agreed to accelerate cooperation under their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, signed by Kim Jong Un and Putin in June 2024. The joint statement said the talks covered high-level visits, multi-faceted cooperation, and coordination on international issues, with Russia voicing full support for North Korea's sovereignty and Pyongyang backing Moscow's position on the war in Ukraine. The visit, which lacked an obvious diplomatic occasion such as an anniversary or multilateral summit, has fuelled speculation that Choe may be laying the groundwork for a visit to Russia by Kim Jong Un, whom Putin invited to Moscow during their 2024 summit.