North Korea backing Russia's war goals confirms 'invincible' ties: Lavrov

Lavrov cited North Korean troop presence in Russia's Kursk region as proof of an "invincible brotherhood," noting Kremlin forces have largely repelled Ukraine's surprise incursion from last year

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said North Korea has affirmed its “clear support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine and for Kremlin leadership as he started a three-day visit to Pyongyang.  

The two heavily-sanctioned nations are in constant contact, and more meetings between President Vladimir Putin and Leader Kim Jong Un are likely in the future, Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, according to the state-run Tass news service. 

 

Lavrov referenced the participation of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kremlin forces have mostly reversed last year’s surprise incursion by Ukraine, calling it evidence of an “invincible brotherhood” between the nations.  

 

 

Russian authorities would facilitate an increase in tourist flows to North Korea from Russia, Lavrov said. North Korea opened the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area in June, with Kim presiding over the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

 

Lavrov also said that Belarus, with Russia’s backing, has invited North Korea to take part in the third conference on Eurasian security architecture, expected to be held in Minsk in October. 

 

This weekend’s visit comes less than a month after Pyongyang agreed to send an additional 6,000 military workers to the Kursk region at a June meeting between Kim and Sergei Shoigu, Putin’s top security aide and former Russian defense minister. It was Shoigu’s third trip to Pyongyang in as many months. 

The two countries have been deepening ties after signing a military treaty last year to expand their strategic partnership under mounting international sanctions. Russia and North Korea also intend to relaunch maritime transport between the two countries. 

 

Western governments have accused the Kremlin of bartering military technology for arms and manpower amid Putin’s war on Ukraine, now well into its fourth year. The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia has also helped Pyongyang’s military gain modern, real-world combat experience.

 

North Korea is now supplying as much as 40 per cent of Russia’s ammunition for the war and “those are good weapons,” Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence, told Bloomberg News in an interview. 

 

“North Korea has huge stockpiles and production goes on around the clock,” he said. Bloomberg can’t independently verify Budanov’s assessment. 

 

Lavrov’s visit to Pyongyang is part of “the second round of strategic dialogue between the top diplomats,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, according to Tass. 

 

Choe Son Hui met with Putin and Lavrov in November during a trip to Moscow. Before Pyongyang, Lavrov was in Kuala Lumpur, where he met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.