Always closer to the end of the world. This Friday, while Russia is considering “a direct military conflict” with the United States, North Korea declared, through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, that it will be alongside Russia until “its victory” in Ukraine.
A statement made during a meeting this Friday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart who welcomed “the very close contacts” between military personnel from the two countries.
“We will always stand firmly alongside our Russian comrades”
This interview between Sergei Lavrov and Choe Son Hui comes at a time when Ukraine and the West denounce a deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers near the front, seeing it as a dangerous “escalation” of the conflict.
“There is no doubt that under the wise leadership of the distinguished Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian army and people will achieve a great victory […] We reaffirm that we will always stand firmly alongside our Russian comrades until Victory Day,” Minister Choe Son Hui said during a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergei, according to a Russian translation of her remarks. Lavrov.
A strategic treaty and military aid in the event of armed aggression
“Very close contacts have been established between the military and security services of the two countries. This allows us to resolve important issues for the security of our citizens and yours,” the Russian minister, for his part, welcomed.
The two countries concluded a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” which notably provides for “immediate military aid” in the event of armed aggression from third countries.
The Ukrainian army has controlled several hundred square kilometers of Russian territory since its surprise offensive launched in early August in the Kursk region.
8,000 North Korean soldiers already deployed in the Kursk region
Citing American intelligence services, the head of diplomacy Antony Blinken indicated Thursday that of the 10,000 North Korean soldiers who, according to Washington, entered Russia, up to 8,000 “were deployed in the Kursk region”.
This meeting between Sergei Lavrov and Choe Son Hui comes a few days before the American presidential election, at a time when North Korea is raising tensions with the firing of an intercontinental missile with the stated objective of strengthening its nuclear deterrence.
North Korea announces strengthening its nuclear arsenal
Choe Son Hui also said that his country would “strengthen its nuclear arsenal”. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “made it clear (Thursday) that the current situation […] obliges us more than ever to strengthen our modern offensive strategic nuclear weapons, as well as to improve our nuclear response capacity, and I once again affirm that our country will in no case change the course of strengthening its nuclear arsenal, said Minister Choe Son Hui.
She further accused the United States and South Korea of developing an “alliance with a nuclear component”, judging that the “situation could become explosive at any time on the Korean peninsula”.
Russia and North Korea have grown significantly closer since Vladimir Putin launched his assault on Ukraine in February 2022, with the two countries notably concluding a mutual defense agreement during the president's June visit. Russian in Pyongyang.
