Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow. AFP
"The Korean friends acted, guided by the sentiments of solidarity, justice and real camaraderie," the Kremlin cited Putin as saying.
"We appreciate it a lot and are deeply grateful to comrade Kim Jong Un personally... and the North Korean people".
Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov on Saturday hailed the "heroism" of the North Korean soldiers, who he said "provided significant assistance in defeating the group of Ukrainian armed forces".
North Korea on Monday confirmed for the first time it had deployed troops to Russia, with state news agency KCNA reporting that Pyongyang's soldiers helped Moscow reclaim territory in Kursk.
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies had long reported that Pyongyang sent more than 10,000 soldiers to help in Kursk last year.
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