North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has offered his full backing for Russia’s war in Ukraine during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to state media in Pyongyang on Sunday.
Lavrov’s visit to North Korea marks the latest in a series of high-level diplomatic exchanges between the two countries as they deepen military and political ties amid Russia’s ongoing offensive against Kyiv.
North Korea has reportedly deployed thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region and supplied the Russian military with artillery shells and missiles, in what analysts describe as a major escalation in support for Moscow’s war effort.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Kim held discussions in a “warm, comradely atmosphere.” Lavrov thanked Pyongyang for its assistance in Kursk and for supporting what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Both sides also reportedly blamed the West for rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The talks took place in the eastern port city of Wonsan, where Kim recently unveiled a large seaside resort, one of his flagship domestic projects. Russian and North Korean state media published footage of Lavrov and Kim greeting each other with a handshake and a hug.
According to North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, Kim told Lavrov that Pyongyang is “ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership to address the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis.” He also expressed confidence that the Russian army and people “will surely achieve victory in defending the dignity and core interests of the country,” while praising Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “outstanding leadership.”
The two also discussed follow-up actions to agreements made during the June 2024 DPRK-Russia summit.
Lavrov conveyed Putin’s wish for “continued direct contacts in the very near future,” according to Russia’s TASS news agency. Lavrov has since departed Pyongyang and arrived in Beijing to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Foreign Ministers.
‘Invincible alliance’
Ahead of Lavrov’s visit, Moscow announced the launch of twice-weekly flights between the Russian and North Korean capitals. Lavrov praised Wonsan as a potential tourist destination, saying he hoped it would attract not only locals but also Russian visitors.
KCNA also reported that Lavrov held separate talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, during which the two sides affirmed that their bilateral relationship is becoming an “invincible alliance.”
The Russian foreign ministry said it supports North Korea’s “just efforts” to defend its national security. In return, Choe expressed “full sympathy and support for all measures taken by the Russian government to eliminate the root cause of the Ukrainian conflict.”
TASS reported that Lavrov thanked North Korean troops for their “heroic” role in supporting Russian forces. South Korea has claimed that around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded while fighting in Ukraine.
North Korea only acknowledged its troop deployment in April, later confirming that some of its soldiers had been killed in combat.
Russia and North Korea, both heavily sanctioned by the West, signed a military cooperation agreement last year that included a mutual defense clause. That deal was sealed during a rare visit by President Putin to Pyongyang.
The two nations also reiterated their commitment to resisting what they described as the “hegemonic aspirations of extra-regional forces” — a veiled reference to the United States and its allies — which they accused of heightening tensions in Northeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
AFP
