Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin has met North Korea’s Foreign Minister, Choe Son Hui in the latest high-level engagement between the two countries.
Putin said that the countries’ “relations and development prospects” are progressing “according to plan,” and extended regards to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Choe, in turn, passed on “warm wishes” from Kim.
Before attending the Kremlin meeting with Putin, Choe held talks with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who again hailed North Korean troops for fighting alongside the Russian military in the Kursk region after a surprise Ukrainian incursion. “These heroic deeds will, of course, further strengthen the bonds of friendship and historical unity in our shared struggle for justice,” Lavrov said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the results of the talks between Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui will give a strong impetus to the development of bilateral relations.
“The outcome of the talks will provide a significant boost to the development and strengthening of the traditionally friendly Russian-Korean relations, which have reached a qualitatively new level of alliance.”
Russian Foreign Ministry
According to the statement, the discussions included a thorough exchange of views on current issues in the development of bilateral ties, including practical cooperation, with particular attention given to the implementation of agreements reached during the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June 2024 in Pyongyang, as well as on the sidelines of the Beijing celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over militarist Japan and the end of World War II.
“The ministry added that both sides shared the view that the main cause of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, and globally is the aggressive policy of the United States and its allies.
“The Russian side expressed its full support for the measures taken by the North Korean leadership to protect the country’s sovereignty and ensure its security,” the statement said.
Russian Foreign Ministry
Choe Asserts North Korea’s Support For Russia
Choe noted a “considerable progress” in relations between the two countries and stressed Pyongyang’s “unwavering” support for “the Russian leadership’s policy aimed at defending state sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice.”
Russia and North Korea, both under extensive Western sanctions, have significantly bolstered ties in recent years, including signing a 2024 defence pact committing each country to provide military support to the other in the event of “aggression.”
Since then, North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, at least 600 of whom have died in combat, according to estimates from Seoul and Kyiv.
Pyongyang first acknowledged its soldiers’ involvement in the war in April, saying they helped Russia retake its strategic Kursk region after a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Several days ago, Kim held a ceremony marking the opening of a museum in Pyongyang to honour the North Korean troops killed in the conflict. He said their deployment “marked the beginning of a new history of militant solidarity” with Russia, with which there is an “invincible” alliance.
Putin last met Kim in person on September 3 in Beijing, where the leaders held official talks after attending a military parade hosted by China’s President Xi Jinping. At the time, Putin praised North Korean soldiers for fighting “courageously and heroically” in the Ukraine war.
The deepening Russia-North Korea relationship has drawn concern from the United States, which says there is evidence that Russia is increasing technology support for North Korea, including in space and satellite programmes. After Putin and Kim’s September meeting, US President Donald Trump claimed they were conspiring against the US – a statement dismissed by the Kremlin.
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