Russia’s Lavrov meets Kim Jong Un in North Korea with Ukraine war at fore

North Korean officials person “reaffirmed their enactment for each objectives” successful the Russia-Ukraine war, says Russian FM.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with Kim Jong Un successful North Korea, during which Pyongyang reaffirmed its enactment for Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine successful which thousands of its soldiers person been killed.

Lavrov “was received” by Kim, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said connected Telegram connected Saturday, posting a video of the 2 men shaking hands and embracing successful Wonsan. Russian and North Korean authorities media had announced the sojourn earlier, saying Lavrov would enactment until Sunday.

It is the latest successful a bid of high-profile trips by apical Moscow officials to North Korea arsenic the countries deepen subject and governmental ties with a absorption connected Russia’s violative successful Ukraine.

Pyongyang has go 1 of Moscow’s main allies during its much than three-year-long warfare successful Ukraine, sending thousands of troops and accepted weapons to assistance the Kremlin region Ukrainian forces from Kursk successful Russia.

More than 6,000 North Korean soldiers person died successful the Russia-Ukraine war, according to British Defence Intelligence.

North Korea has besides agreed to dispatch 6,000 subject engineers and builders to assistance reconstruction efforts there.

The South Korean quality work has said North Korea whitethorn beryllium preparing to deploy further troops successful July oregon August.

The United States and South Korea person expressed interest that, successful return, Kim whitethorn question Russian exertion transfers that could heighten the menace posed by his nuclear-armed military.

Earlier connected Saturday, Lavrov met with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui successful Wonsan, a metropolis connected the country’s eastbound coast, wherever a immense edifice was opened earlier this month.

“We exchanged views connected the concern surrounding the Ukrainian situation … Our Korean friends confirmed their steadfast enactment for each the objectives of the peculiar subject operation, arsenic good arsenic for the actions of the Russian enactment and equipped forces,” Russian quality bureau TASS quoted Lavrov arsenic saying.

He besides thanked the “heroic” North Korean soldiers, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

In April, the 2 countries officially confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for the archetypal time, saying these troops had helped Russia to recapture the Kursk portion – a assertion contested by Ukraine.

Since then, Kim has been shown successful authorities media paying tribute successful beforehand of flag-draped coffins of North Korean soldiers.

Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has visited Pyongyang aggregate times this year.

The 2 heavy sanctioned nations signed a sweeping subject deal past November, including a communal defence clause, during a uncommon sojourn by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea. Pyongyang has reportedly been straight arming Moscow to enactment its warfare successful Ukraine.

In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said successful his nightly code connected Friday that US weapons shipments to his state had resumed, pursuing the Pentagon’s determination to concisely halt the transportation of definite weapons to Kyiv implicit fears that US stockpiles were dwindling.

The US volition deliver subject supplies and nonstop its envoy Keith Kellogg to Kyiv aboriginal adjacent week, said Zelenskyy.