North Korea’s International Minister Choe Son Hui praised the ‘religious closeness’ between the 2 states.
Printed On 27 Oct 2025
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has met North Korea’s International Minister Choe Son Hui within the newest high-level engagement between the 2 international locations, which have strengthened ties through the Ukraine warfare.
Footage launched by Russian state information businesses confirmed Putin greeting Choe within the Kremlin on Monday. Russia’s prime diplomat Sergey Lavrov additionally appeared on the assembly.
Really useful Tales
record of three objectsfinish of record
Putin mentioned the international locations’ “relations and improvement prospects” are progressing “based on plan”, and prolonged regards to North Korean chief Kim Jong Un, based on Russia’s Sputnik information company. Choe, in flip, handed on “heat needs” from Kim, having earlier praised the “religious closeness” of the 2 nations’ relationship in talks with Lavrov.
Russia and North Korea, each underneath in depth Western sanctions, have considerably bolstered ties in recent times, together with signing a 2024 defence pact committing every nation to offer army assist to the opposite within the occasion of “aggression”.
Since then, North Korea has despatched round 10,000 troops to affix Russia’s warfare towards Ukraine, at the least 600 of whom have died in fight, based on estimates from Seoul and Kyiv.
Pyongyang first acknowledged its soldiers’ involvement within the warfare in April, saying they helped Russia retake its strategic Kursk region after a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
A number of days in the past, Kim held a ceremony marking the opening of a museum in Pyongyang to honour the North Korean troops killed within the battle. He mentioned their deployment “marked the start of a brand new historical past of militant solidarity” with Russia, with which there’s an “invincible” alliance.
Putin final met Kim in person on September 3 in Beijing, the place the leaders held official talks after attending a army parade hosted by China’s President Xi Jinping. On the time, Putin praised North Korean troopers for combating “courageously and heroically” within the Ukraine warfare.
“I wish to be aware that we are going to always remember the sacrifices that your armed forces and the households of your servicemen have suffered,” Putin mentioned.
The deepening Russia-North Korea relationship has drawn concern from the US, which says there’s proof that Russia is growing expertise assist for North Korea, together with in area and satellite tv for pc programmes. After Putin and Kim’s September assembly, US President Donald Trump claimed they had been conspiring towards the US – an announcement dismissed by the Kremlin.
