LONDON — North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, will continue to “unconditionally support and encourage” Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korean state media reported on Sunday.
North Korea said it would support “all the measures” taken by Russia in relation to “tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis,” the Korean Central News Agency reported.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, right, talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second left, in Wonsan, North Korea, Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Korean Central News Agency via AP
The report followed a meeting on Saturday between North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to KCNA. Kim also met with Lavrov, according to state media, which released a series of photos appearing to show the pair engaging in a warm embrace before sitting for talks.
The bilateral talks were held in Wonsan, a coastal city where North Korea this year opened a newly built beach resort.
In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, right, attend a signing ceremony following their talks in Wonsan, North Korea, on Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP
North Korea sought to position the meeting of the top diplomats as “strategic dialogue,” after which Choe and Lavrov signed “a 2026-2027 exchange plan,” although state media stopped short of saying what was in that plan. The pair discussed “mutual cooperation in the international arenas,” KCNA reported.
Lavrov on Thursday had met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Malaysia, after which Rubio said he shared U.S. President Donald Trump’s “disappointment and frustration” with their Russian counterparts.
Lavrov was quoted in Russian state-affiliated media on Sunday saying that “our Korean friends” had again confirmed support for “all of the objectives” Russia had for its fight against Ukraine. Russia and North Korea last year inked a mutual-defense pact, according to Russian and North Korean media.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea July 12, 2025.
Korean Central News Agency via Reuters
North Korea sent at least 10,000 troops to Russia last year to aid in the fight against Ukraine, according to estimates from the Pentagon. The U.S. State Department said last year that North Korea has shipped arms — including ballistic missiles and munitions — 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 Korea People’s army servicemen” who fought alongside Russian troops in Kursk, where Ukraine had mounted an offensive into Russia, according to Tass, a Russian news agency.
