North Korea will stand by Russia until its victory in Ukraine, Pyongyang’s foreign minister said in Moscow.
North Korea’s Choe Son Hui is on a visit to Moscow as the West believes up to 10,000 North Korean troops are on the brink of entering the more than two-year conflict on Russia’s side.
“We will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day,” Choe declared in Moscow after talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
She said North Korea had no doubt in President Vladimir Putin’s “wise leadership.” This summer, Putin signed a mutual assistance pact with Pyongyang and massively warmed ties with the reclusive state.
Choe praised Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine as a “sacred struggle”.
She also vowed that North Korea will continue to develop its nuclear arsenal, with Pyongyang widely suspected of wanting atomic technology from Russia in exchange for military support.
Neither country has denied the troop deployment reports, which Choe and Lavrov did not mention in their statements after their talks.
Lavrov did, however, laud “very close ties” between the two countries “armies and special services”.
“This will also make it possible to solve significant security tasks for our citizens and yours,” he added, without giving details.
Lavrov said Russia was “deeply grateful” for North Korea’s “principled stance” on Ukraine.
North Korea and Iran have emerged as Russia’s main backers in Ukraine, with both believed to be supplying Moscow with military hardware.
“I appreciate today’s opportunity to talk frankly in a comradely manner,” Lavrov said, evoking Soviet-style language.
US intelligence has said some North Korean forces have made their way to Russia’s Kursk border region, with Washington and Seoul urging Pyongyang to withdraw its troops.
