North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has announced unconditional support for Russia in the Ukraine war

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International Desk: North Korea has declared unconditional support for any action taken by the superpower Russia in Ukraine. The country’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, said that whatever steps Russia takes regarding the Ukraine war, “we will unconditionally support” them.

Kim gave this message during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to North Korea. During the ongoing three-day visit, high-level strategic discussions have taken place between the two countries. This information was reported by Qatar-based news agency Al-Jazeera on Sunday (July 13).

The media said that Russia and North Korea have a cooperative partnership agreement, including a mutual defense pact, signed last year. On this basis, Lavrov and North Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Son-hui held their second round of strategic dialogue.

Additionally, Kim and Lavrov met in the city of Wonsan. At the meeting, Kim said that joint actions between the two countries, in the context of rapidly changing global geopolitics, “will play an important role in maintaining worldwide peace and security.”

North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported that Kim said they unconditionally support and encourage the measures taken by Russian leadership to resolve the root cause of the Ukraine crisis.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video showing Kim and Lavrov shaking hands and embracing. At the meeting, Kim also said he “believes the Russian military and people will surely achieve victory because they are fighting a sacred battle to protect their country’s dignity and fundamental interests.”

KCNA stated that the meeting included important discussions on implementing the decisions made at the historic June 2024 Russia-North Korea summit.

Al-Jazeera reported that since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war two years ago, relations between North Korea and Russia have dramatically deepened. Pyongyang has already supplied over 10,000 troops and weapons to Russia and has pledged further military assistance in the future.

Last year, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rare visit to North Korea, the two countries signed a military agreement that also included mutual defense provisions.

During the ongoing visit, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov informed Kim that President Putin “wants to meet directly again very soon,” according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Before this important visit, Russia announced it would start operating flights twice a week between Moscow and Pyongyang. Referring to Wonsan city as a “future tourist attraction,” Lavrov said, “We hope this area will become popular not only among locals but also Russian tourists.”