Russian Defence Minister, Andrei Belousov, arrived in North Korea on Friday November 29, 2024, for talks with North Korean military and political leaders as the countries deepen their alignment over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Belousov replaced Sergei Shoigu as Defense Minister in May.
The defence ministry in announcing the visit did not specify who Belousov would be meeting or the purpose of the talks. North Korean state media did not immediately confirm the visit either.
Photos released by Russia’s defence ministry showed Belousov walking alongside North Korean Defence Minister, No Kwang Chol, on a red carpet laid out at a Pyongyang airport.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Belousov will meet with Kim, the North Korean leader.
Last year, Kim hosted a Russian delegation led by then-Defense Minister Shoigu and gave him a personal tour of a North Korean arms exhibition, in what outside critics likened to a sales pitch.
The visit came days after South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, met with a Ukrainian delegation led by Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, in the South Korean capital of Seoul and called for the two countries to formulate countermeasures in response to North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia in support of its fight against Ukraine.
North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in recent months has prioritised relations with Russia as he tries to break out of isolation and strengthen his international footing, embracing the idea of a “new cold war”, reports the AP.
The US and its allies have said North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia in recent weeks and that some of those troops were engaging in combat.
Belousov Hails Ties Between Russia And North Korea
Belousov noted after his arrival that friendly ties, including military cooperation, between the countries is expanding.
He applauded a strategic partnership agreement signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following their June meeting in Pyongyang, which he said is aimed at reducing tensions by maintaining a “balance of power” in the region and lowering the risk of war, including with nuclear weapons.
The June meeting demonstrated the “highest level of mutual trust” between the leaders, Belousov said, and “also the mutual desire of our countries to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in a complex international environment.”
North Korean Defense Minister No also praised the expanding cooperation between the countries’ militaries and reiterated North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He described it as a “just struggle to protect the country’s sovereign rights and security interests.”
North Korea has also been accused of supplying artillery systems, missiles and other military equipment to Russia that may help Putin further extend an almost three-year war.
There are also concerns in Seoul that North Korea, in exchange for its troops and arms supplies, could receive Russian technology transfers that could improve its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
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