Kim Jong Un pledges ‘unconditional’ support for Russia

North Korea is ready to ‘unconditionally support’ all steps taken by Russia in its war against Ukraine, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russia’s top diplomat as the two countries held high-level strategic talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and weapons for Russia’s war in Ukraine and has pledged further military support to Moscow as it seeks to make progress in the conflict. Kim Jong Un met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, where he and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui held their second strategic dialogue and pledged further cooperation under a partnership agreement signed last year, which includes a mutual defense pact. North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said Kim told Lavrov that the steps taken by allies in response to the radical changes in global geopolitics would make a great contribution to ensuring peace and security in the world. Using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, KCNA said, Kim Jong Un reaffirmed that the DPRK is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all steps taken by the Russian leadership to address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis. The Russian Foreign Ministry posted a video on Telegram showing the two leaders shaking hands and hugging each other. The North Korean leader added, “I firmly believe that the Russian army and people will definitely achieve victory in achieving the sacred goal of defending the country’s dignity and fundamental interests.” According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Lavrov told Kim that Putin “hopes to resume direct communication very soon.”