North Korea will support Russia until it wins the war in Ukraine, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said on Friday, who met her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
“Our traditional, historically friendly relations, which have stood the test of time, are today rising to a new level (…),” she told Sergei Lavrov.
Pyongyang, added Choe Son-hui, has no doubt that, under the “wise leadership” of Vladimir Putin, the Russian army and people “will achieve a great victory.”
The diplomat promised that North Korea would stand “firmly alongside its Russian comrades” until Victory Day.
For his part, Sergei Lavrov spoke of the “very close ties” between the North Korean and Russian armies, stressing that this cooperation would make it possible to resolve important security issues.
Russia's foreign minister has not commented on US and NATO claims that North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops to Russia.
The North Korean minister insisted on the need to strengthen bilateral ties, in accordance with a mutual defense treaty signed in June. This treaty, according to her, is crucial for the security of both nations.
Separately, she expressed concerns about the military activities of the United States and South Korea, accusing Washington and Seoul of preparing a nuclear attack against North Korea, without providing evidence.
Choe Son-hui warned that the situation on the Korean Peninsula could become “explosive” at any time, emphasizing the need for Pyongyang to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov and Anton Kolodyazhnyy, writing by Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn; French version Noémie Naudin, editing by Kate Entringer)
