Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov thanked North Korea for its support for Russia’s war against Ukraine as he arrived in Pyongyang, days after the US said the North had transferred munitions to Russia to boost its war fighting capabilities.
Russian state television ran footage of crowds greeting Lavrov in rain in Pyongyang on Wednesday alongside a welcoming party waving pompoms.
Lavrov said his visit was an opportunity to discuss implementing the unspecified agreements between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when they met at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome last month.
Photo: Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via EPA-EFE
Lavrov later attended a reception where North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son-hui said the countries were building an “unbreakable comradely relationship” under the “strategic” decisions and leadership of Kim and Putin, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Lavrov in a speech said Russia deeply values North Korea’s “unwavering and principled support” for its war on Ukraine, as well as Pyongyang’s decision to recognize the independence of Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, according to his comments published by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are fully aware that many countries worldwide share similar viewpoints and assessments, but only a select few, such as the DPRK, explicitly declare their solidarity with Russia and can express it openly,” Lavrov said, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name.
Lavrov also praised North Korea for “firmly defending its sovereignty and security, remaining unfazed by any pressure of the US and the West,” and that Russia fully supports the policies of Kim’s government to protect its security and economic interests, KCNA said.
Earlier in the week, Lavrov accompanied Putin on a visit to Beijing that underscored Chinese support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Last month’s meeting between Kim and Putin triggered Western concerns about a potential arms alliance in which North Korea would supply Russia with munitions to fuel its war in Ukraine in exchange for advanced Russian technologies to boost Kim’s military nuclear program.
After arriving in Pyongyang, Lavrov hailed Putin’s meeting with Kim as historic, saying their talks demonstrated the countries’ “deep interest in the development of comprehensive cooperation.”
The White House has said North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US believes Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost North Korea’s military and nuclear program.
Putin has accepted an invitation from Kim to visit North Korea, but the timing has not been announced.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College