North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed Pyongyang’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, vowing to help Moscow achieve victory in its “sacred” war, state media reported yesterday.
Pyongyang has sent missiles, munitions and thousands of troops to assist Russia in Ukraine, and analysts say Moscow is sending financial aid, military technology, food and energy to the diplomatically isolated country in return.
A string of high-level Russian officials have visited North Korea, with Russian Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov meeting Kim on Sunday, according to official statements.
Photo: AFP / KCNA via KNS
North Korea “will as ever fully support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests,” Kim told Belousov, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Kim expressed “belief that the Russian army and people would surely win a victory in the just sacred war,” it reported.
Both sides said their delegations had discussed deeper military ties, with Belousov saying Moscow was ready to sign a cooperation plan covering the period from next year to 2031.
Kim, Belousov and Russian Parliamentary Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin also attended the opening ceremony of a memorial complex honoring North Korean soldiers killed in Ukraine.
In a speech, Kim paid tribute to their “unrivaled bravery, mass heroism, indomitable fighting spirit and noble sacrifice,” KCNA reported.
He took part in a ceremony to bury the war dead, recalling their “last heroic moments” and covering the remains of a soldier with earth.
The inauguration also included a concert, a fireworks display and an air force flyover, KCNA reported.
The audience were moved by portrayals of “life-and-death bloody battles” and “death-defying hand-to-hand fights and heroic suicidal explosions the young soldiers chose without hesitation,” it said.
North Korea and Russia signed a military treaty in 2024, obligating both states to provide military assistance “without delay” in the event of an attack on the other.
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