S EOUL—Kim Jong Un’s top military officers have returned from Russia, suggesting North Korea’s combat contributions could take a back seat and potentially allow for Pyongyang’s role to be played down in any peace talks over the war in Ukraine.

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised "heroic" North Korean troops who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine, in a meeting with officers of the army's overseas operation, state media KCNA said on Thursday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday lauded and commended his overseas forces fighting on behalf of Russia against Ukraine, KCNA said. He said his forces will continue to fight for the Russian side till Moscow achieves its military objectives in the war.

A California man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting to shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea that he said were to be used for a surprise attack on South Korea, authorities said Tuesday.

A Chinese national has been sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling firearms and other military items to North Korea, the US justice department has said. Shenghua Wen, 42, received around $2m (£1.5m) from North Korean officials to ship the items from California, according to a statement from the agency on Monday.

A Chinese national will spend nearly 10 years in prison for conspiring to smuggle weapons and sensitive U.S. technology to North Korea and accepting million-dollar bribes.