Kim Jong Un emphasises Pyongyang-Moscow solidarity amid Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to North Korea. Pyongyang is willing to “unconditionally support” everything Moscow undertakes in its war against Ukraine, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has informed Russia’s leading diplomat, according to state media, as the two nations conducted top-level strategic talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is making a three-day visit to North Korea, which has supplied Russian troops and weapons for the Red Army’s war against Ukraine and promised additional military aid as Moscow attempts to make gains in the war.
Kim hosted Lavrov in the port city on the east coast, Wonsan, where Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui had their second strategic dialogue, promising continued cooperation under an alliance treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence agreement.
Kim informed Lavrov that the actions the allies have taken due to dramatically changing world geopolitics will play a significant role in achieving peace and security globally, North Korea’s official news agency, KCNA, said.
Kim Jong Un reaffirmed that the DPRK stands ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the steps of the Russian leadership concerning the confrontation of the source of the Ukrainian crisis,” KCNA stated, employing the acronym for the nation’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry published on Telegram a video of the two men greeting and shaking hands. The two men otherwise talked about “important issues for strictly fulfilling the agreements reached at the historic DPRK-Russia summit talks in June 2024”, KCNA reported.
Ties between Russia and North Korea have grown exponentially in the past two years of Ukraine’s war, which began with Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbour in February 2022, with Pyongyang sending over 10,000 troops and weapons to support Moscow.
The two sanctions-hit countries signed a military agreement last year, including the mutual defence component, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rare visit to North Korea.
