Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to visit North Korea over the weekend as Russia’s relationship with the United States sours.
Russian Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday that Lavrov would be traveling to the country for a “second round of strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers.” The meeting is the latest in a series of high-profile visits of Russian officials to North Korea, something considered unthinkable before the Russia-Ukraine War.
Pyongyang’s state media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency, said Lavrov’s visit came “at the invitation of the DPRK Foreign Ministry.”
The visit comes one month after Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu met Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un during a trip to North Korea.
North Korea and Russia have been much more open about their relationship in recent months after an extended period of secrecy. Moscow and Pyongyang sought to hide the participation of North Korean soldiers in the battle to eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk, only revealing their presence after the operation had been completed.
Kim honored the sacrifice of the North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk last month, showing a video of himself greeting the flag-draped coffins of soldiers at a gala attended alongside Russian officials.
The gala was meant to celebrate the “militant ties of friendship and the genuine internationalist obligation between the peoples and armies of the two countries that were forged at the cost of blood,” state media KCNA said.
During his visit last month, Shoigu said North Korea would be sending additional personnel to Kursk, mainly military engineers.
“Chairman of the State Affairs of [North Korea] Kim Jong Un has decided to send 1,000 sappers to Russia to clear mines on Russian territory, as well as 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure destroyed by the occupiers,” Shoigu told reporters.
Ukrainian, Western, and South Korean intelligence all alleged the deployment of a North Korean expedition force in Kursk to supplement Russia’s troops beginning in November. While mostly allegedly disguised as members of Russia’s minority Asian populations, their different tactics, language, and general approach suggested they were North Korean.
The troops quickly gained the respect of the Ukrainians for their near suicidal bravery, often preferring to leave behind protective equipment to move quicker on the battlefield, according to Ukrainian troops speaking with CNN. They were expert marksmen, shooting down drones from hundreds of feet away, and would blow themselves up rather than risk capture. Their ruthless assaults helped grind down Ukrainian lines.
North Korea’s contributions have earned it plaudits from Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian intelligence believes Pyongyang is in the process of sending up to 30,000 more troops to supplement Russian forces as it continues to seize the momentum in Ukraine, CNN reported.
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The development comes as hopes for a quick, peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine wane. President Donald Trump has grown pessimistic about the chance of peace talks, offering on Tuesday some of his most pointed criticisms of Putin since taking office. He said shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine would continue.
“We get a lot of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
