By Mark Trevelyan and Alexander Marrow (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korea's foreign minister in the Kremlin on Monday at a time of mounting concern in the West that North Korean soldiers are about to enter the Ukraine war on Moscow's side.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Moscow with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, state news agency TASS reported. Another agency, Interfax, said the meeting took place on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin for talks on Monday. "Today is a national holiday for us, and meeting with good friends on holidays is a good tradition,

Continuing the war means the economy faces stagnation, while ending it would shut off the massive defense spending that's driven growth, Alexander Mertens writes.

Russia has lost over 700,000 soldiers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February 2022 and 4 November 2024 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses - ed.