North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has told Russia’s top diplomat that Pyongyang is ready to “unconditionally support” all actions taken by Moscow in its war on Ukraine, state media reports, as the two countries held high-level strategic talks.
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 war on Ukraine and pledged more military support as Moscow 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, pledging further cooperation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence pact.
Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics would contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported.
“Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK 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,” KCNA said, using the acronym for the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a video on Telegram of the two men shaking hands and greeting each other with a hug.v
