Russian officials confirmed for the first time publicly that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside them in the war in Ukraine, as U.S. President Donald Trump shows his patience is running thin with Russia on peace talks in Ukraine.

Russian forces have fully recaptured the territory of Kursk Oblast, the Russian border region partially held by Ukraine since last August, the Kremlin claimed on April 26. "Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin on the completion of the operation to liberate

Russian President Putin announced a purported defeat of Ukrainian forces in Kursk, with North Korean troops' aid. Kyiv rejected these claims, noting continued operations in Kursk and Belgorod. Amid claims and counterclaims,