Ekaterina Girnyk14:17, 01.11.24

The head of the DPRK Foreign Ministry held a meeting in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited Moscow on Friday and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov amid reports that  thousands of North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to support its army in the war in Ukraine.

As AP News writes , neither Moscow nor Pyongyang specified the agenda for the talks, but according to South Korean intelligence, the ministers may discuss the issue of sending additional troops to Russia and what the DPRK will receive in return.

During the meeting, Lavrov said that ties between Moscow and Pyongyang “have reached an unprecedented high level over the past few years.”

In turn, the DPRK Foreign Minister stated that North Korea supports the “just struggle of the Russian military and people to protect the sovereign rights and security interests of their country” in Ukraine:

“North Korea assures Russia that it will be with its Russian comrades until the day of victory.”

At the same time, Moscow and Pyongyang did not give a clear response to statements by South Korea and the West about the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, emphasizing that their military cooperation complies with international law, but without directly recognizing the presence of DPRK troops in Russia.

DPRK military in Russia

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that 8,000 North Korean soldiers had already been sent to Russia’s Kursk region , noting that they could take part in military operations in the coming days.

He noted that North Korean soldiers are being trained on artillery, drones, and are being prepared for basic infantry operations, including digging trenches. This, according to Blinken, indicates that Russia plans to use them in operations at the front.

(C)UNIAN 2024