The two countries signed a strategic partnership treaty in June that guarantees mutual military support
North Korea has pledged to support Russia in its conflict with Ukraine for as long as it takes, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui stated. She expressed confidence in Moscow’s eventual victory.
During a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Friday, Choe emphasized that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un instructed the country to “firmly and powerfully support and assist the Russian army and the Russian people in their holy war.”
According to the minister, North Korea believes that under President Vladimir Putin’s leadership, “the Russian army and people will achieve a great victory in its struggle to protect its sovereign rights and security interests.” “We reaffirm that we will always adamantly stand by our Russian comrades until the victory day.”
Choe highlighted that Russia and North Korea are strengthening relations in all areas, including defense, based on the landmark Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed in June. The two countries are committed to “further coordinating our foreign policy position… and advance our interactions even further in all areas, as well as jointly and effectively responding to all international issues on all international platforms,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lavrov also commended the bilateral relations, stating that they had reached “an unprecedentedly high level.” He thanked Pyongyang for its “principled stance on the events in Ukraine,” which he attributed to NATO expansion and an effort to encourage Kiev to “wipe out everything Russian” in the country.
The North Korea-Russia treaty, ratified by Russian lawmakers last week, stipulates that if one side is invaded, the other “shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay.”
Ukraine and Western countries have accused North Korea of sending troops to Russia and expressed concern that they may eventually join the conflict. North Korea has refuted these allegations, calling them an attempt to damage Pyongyang’s reputation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not confirmed or denied these claims, adding that the specifics of cooperation between the two countries are not public knowledge.