(Moscow) North Korea will stand by Russia until “its victory” in Ukraine, declared the North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs at the start of a meeting Friday in Moscow with her Russian counterpart who welcomed “ very close contacts” between military personnel from the two countries.
Posted at 6:48 a.m.
This meeting 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.
“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.
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” .
“We haven’t seen these troops yet [nord-coréennes] deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we expect that to happen in the coming days,” Blinken added.
After deputies last week, the Russian Federation Council must vote on the ratification of the strategic agreement between the two countries on November 6.
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.
Choe Son Hui also said that his country would “strengthen its nuclear arsenal”.
Russia and North Korea have grown significantly closer since Moscow launched its assault on Ukraine in February 2022.
Pyongyang is accused by the West of supplying quantities of shells and missiles to the Russian army in its conflict with Ukraine.
Washington and Moscow “on the brink of direct military conflict”
The United States and Russia are “on the verge of direct military conflict,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published Friday by the Turkish daily Liberty.
“Under the current president, who has pushed the spiral of Russophobia in the United States to its limits, our countries are on the verge of direct military conflict,” he said in response to a question about the elections American.
“We have no preference. At the time, the Trump administration adopted the most anti-Russian sanctions compared to its predecessors,” he added.
For the Russian minister, “no matter who wins the elections, we do not believe that the anti-Russian line of the United States can change”.
Russia has increased disinformation operations against the campaign of Vice-President Kamala Harris by broadcasting conspiracy videos, the Microsoft group said in September, fueling concerns about foreign interference in the American elections.
Neither really adversaries nor really close, Donald Trump and the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin maintain a deliberately ambiguous relationship.
The Russian president judged that his relationship with the United States would depend on their attitude after the election, while welcoming the “sincerity” of the Republican candidate for his desire to establish peace in Ukraine.
