Russia’s Lavrov meets Kim Jong Un in North Korea with Ukraine struggle at fore
North Korean officers have “reaffirmed their help for all aims” within the Russia-Ukraine struggle, says Russian FM.
Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea, throughout which Pyongyang reaffirmed its help for Russia’s struggle in Ukraine during which hundreds of its troopers have been killed.
Lavrov “was acquired” by Kim, Russia’s Ministry of International Affairs stated on Telegram on Saturday, posting a video of the 2 males shaking fingers and embracing in Wonsan. Russian and North Korean state media had introduced the go to earlier, saying Lavrov would keep till Sunday.
It’s the newest in a sequence of high-profile journeys by high Moscow officers to North Korea because the international locations deepen army and political ties with a deal with Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Pyongyang has turn into one in every of Moscow’s foremost allies throughout its greater than three-year-long struggle in Ukraine, sending hundreds of troops and traditional weapons to assist the Kremlin take away Ukrainian forces from Kursk in Russia.
Greater than 6,000 North Korean troopers have died within the Russia-Ukraine struggle, in line with British Defence Intelligence.
North Korea has additionally agreed to dispatch 6,000 army engineers and builders to assist reconstruction efforts there.
The South Korean intelligence service has stated North Korea could also be making ready to deploy extra troops in July or August.
America and South Korea have expressed concern that, in return, Kim could search Russian know-how transfers that might improve the menace posed by his nuclear-armed army.
Earlier on Saturday, Lavrov met together with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan, a metropolis on the nation’s east coast, the place an enormous resort was opened earlier this month.
“We exchanged views on the state of affairs surrounding the Ukrainian disaster … Our Korean buddies confirmed their agency help for all of the aims of the particular army operation, in addition to for the actions of the Russian management and armed forces,” Russian information company TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.
He additionally thanked the “heroic” North Korean troopers, the Russian International Ministry stated.
In April, the 2 international locations formally confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for the primary time, saying these troops had helped Russia to recapture the Kursk area – a declare contested by Ukraine.
Since then, Kim has been proven in state media paying tribute in entrance of flag-draped coffins of North Korean troopers.
Russia’s Safety Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has visited Pyongyang a number of occasions this yr.
The 2 closely sanctioned nations signed a sweeping army deal final November, together with a mutual defence clause, throughout a uncommon go to by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea. Pyongyang has reportedly been immediately arming Moscow to help its struggle in Ukraine.
Within the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in his nightly tackle on Friday that US weapons shipments to his nation had resumed, following the Pentagon’s resolution to briefly halt the supply of sure weapons to Kyiv over fears that US stockpiles have been dwindling.
The US will ship army provides and ship its envoy Keith Kellogg to Kyiv early subsequent week, stated Zelenskyy.
