North Korea’s Kim pledges ‘unconditional support’ for Russia in Ukraine conflict
North Korea’s Kim pledges ‘unconditional support’ for Russia in Ukraine conflict
M.U.H
13/07/202535
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un affirmed Pyongyang’s readiness to “unconditionally support” all Moscow’s actions in its conflict with Ukraine during strategic talks with Russia’s top diplomat, according to reports by state media.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
According to North Korea’s state media, the nation has pledged more military support for Russia as it tries to make advances in the conflict.
Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, where Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, held their second strategic dialogue and pledged further cooperation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defense pact.
Kim told Lavrov that the two countries’ cooperation in response to radically evolving global geopolitics greatly contributes to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported.
“Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis,” it added.
Kim also expressed a “firm belief that the Russian army and people would surely win victory in accomplishing the sacred cause of defending the dignity and basic interests of the country.”
Kim and Lavrov discussed the full implementation of the two countries’ agreements reached at the North Korea-Russia summit negotiations in June 2024, KCNA said.
Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened dramatically during the last two years of the conflict in Ukraine, with North Korea deploying more than 10,000 troops and arms to back Russia.
According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Lavrov told Kim that Putin “hopes for continued direct contacts in the very near future.”
Lavrov also warned Japan, South Korea, and the US against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea, and criticized these nations for what he called military buildups around North Korea.
“We warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia,” he said.
Furthermore, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a video on Telegram of the two men shaking hands and greeting each other with a hug.
