President-elect Trump spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday and warned him not to escalate the fighting in Ukraine, according to a source briefed on the call. Why it matters: Trump has said publicly that he is going to end the war in Ukraine and use his personal relationship with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to get a peace deal.

North Korea ratified a major defense treaty with Russia stipulating mutual military aid, the North’s state media reported Tuesday, as the U.S., South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

North Korea ratified a major defence pact with Russia on Tuesday, outlining mutual military aid and requiring both countries to provide each other with immediate military assistance if attacked. Russia had already completed its side of the ratification last week after the pact was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea has ratified a mutual defence treaty with Russia signed by the two countries' leaders in June, which calls for each side to come to the other's aid in case of an armed attack, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.