Russian President Vladimir Putin is thanking North Korean troops for fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.

North Korea confirmed for the first time on Monday that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un.

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held crunch war talks in the heart of the Vatican minutes before the start of the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, as the White House mounts an increasingly urgent push to strike a peace deal in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president said the meeting could prove historic if it delivers the kind of peace he is hoping for, and a White House spokesman called it "very productive."