North Korea earlier helped Moscow expel Ukrainian troops from the border Kursk Region

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid a visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. He used the occasion to reaffirm North Korea's alliance with Moscow and promised to defend the country from any Western-backed attack, including by "the Kiev neo-Nazis."

Kim placed flowers at the Eternal Flame monument to honor the Soviet soldiers, calling it a tribute to the "heroic lives and feats of the unknown soldiers," according to the state-run KCNA news agency. He was accompanied by senior officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, Defense Minister No Kwang-chol, as well as his daughter.

During a lengthy speech, Kim extended greetings to President Vladimir Putin, calling him a "seasoned leader of a powerful state" and his "closest friend and comrade." He hailed the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany, but said its legacy is under renewed threat.

"The revival of Nazism... is a serious threat that can never be tolerated," Kim said. Referring to Ukraine's recent attempts to invade Russian territory, he added, "We condemn this in most vehement and resolute terms as a hysterical action that can be taken only by the Kiev neo-Nazis."

He noted that North Korean troops helped Russia defend Kursk Region from a large-scale Ukrainian incursion, warning that Pyongyang could intervene again under the 2024 comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia.

"If the henchmen of the United States and the West, with their tacky, defective munitions, attempt another assault on the Russian Federation... I... will unhesitatingly issue an order on using the armed forces of the DPRK in repelling the enemy's invasion," he said.

North Korean service members, including several top commanders, were present at the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, where Putin thanked them for their defense of Kursk Region.