London – North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, will continue to “support unconditionally and encourage” the Russian war in Ukraine, the state media of North Korea reported Sunday.
North Korea said it would support “all measures” taken by Russia in relation to the “approach to the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis,” said the central news agency of Korea.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, on the right, speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second left, in Wonsan, North Korea, on Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Korean Central News Agency through AP
The report followed a meeting on Saturday between the Foreign Minister of North Korea, Choe are Hui, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to Kcna. Kim also met with Lavrov, according to Media State, who launched a series of photos that appeared to show the couple participating in a warm hug before sitting to talk.
The bilateral conversations were held in Wonsan, a coastal city where North Korea this year opened a new construction beach resort.
In this photo published by the Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on the left, and the Foreign Minister of North Korea, Choe are Hui, on the right, attends a signature ceremony after his conversations in Wonsan, North Korea, on Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia through AP
North Korea sought to position the meeting of the main diplomats as “strategic dialogue”, after which Choe and Lavrov signed “an exchange plan 2026-2027”, although state media did not stop in that plan in that plan. The couple argued “mutual cooperation in international sands,” Kcna said.
Lavrov had met Thursday with the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in Malaysia, after which Rubio said he shared the “disappointment and frustration” of US President Donald Trump with his Russian counterparts.
Lavrov was summoned in the media affiliated with the Russian State on Sunday saying that “our Korean friends” had again confirmed support for “all the objectives” that Russia had to fight Ukraine. Russia and North Korea last year signed a mutual defense pact, according to Russian and North Korean media.
North Korean leader Kim Jong greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea, on July 12, 2025.
Central Korean news agency through Reuters
North Korea sent at least 10,000 troops to Russia last year to help in the fight against Ukraine, according to Pentagon estimates. The United States Department of State said last year that North Korea has sent weapons, including ballistic missiles and ammunition, to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
Lavrov said on Saturday that Russia “once again expressed our sincere gratitude for the contribution of the military of the popular Korea army” who fought with the Russian troops in Kursk, where Ukraine had mounted an offensive in Russia, according to Tass, a Russian news agency.
