Russia-North Korea relationship on strategic level, says minister

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said relations between Russia and North Korea have reached a ‘qualitatively new, strategic’ level
According to Moscow state media, the envoy said this on Thursday in Pyongyang
Mr Lavrov arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday night, on a two-day visit after accompanying President Vladimir Putin to Beijing.
His visit is expected to lay the groundwork for a future visit by Mr Putin as the relationship between the two countries continues to strengthen.
Mr Lavrov also praised North Korea’s support for Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
“We highly value your principled, unambiguous support for Russia’s actions in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine,” Mr Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia’s RIA news agency.
President Kim last month travelled to Russia aboard a special bulletproof train for a face-to-face meeting with Mr Putin. He also declared bilateral relations with Russia as his country’s number one priority.
Their talks were held at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome, roughly 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) from Moscow, a location seen as symbolic given North Korea’s space aspirations.
The United States has continued to raise fears that North Korea is planning to support Russia with military equipment.
On Friday, the United States said shipment of arms by North Korea was already underway with North Korea delivering more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks.
Russia has denied the allegations saying Washington has no proof that ammunition has been shipped.
The strengthening of the alliance between Russia and North Korea comes at a time when the relationship between North Korea and South Korea is at an all-time low.
North Korea has carried out sets of weapon testing this year while enshrining its status as a Nuclear weapons state in its constitution.
South Korea on the other hand has continued to strengthen its security arrangement with its traditional ally the United States while entering a new trilateral defence arrangement that also includes Japan.
During his two-day visit, Mr Lavrov is expected to meet with the Foreign minister of North Korea Choe Son Hui.
Mr Putin has also accepted an invitation from Mr Kim to visit North Korea, but the timing has not been announced.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

States
Ibadan men nabbed for kidnapping five-year-old girl, demanding N10 million ransom
The suspects, Adegboye Seyi Sunday and Adegboye Elijah Adefemi, were nabbed in Ibadan by the police.

Economy
World’s Richest AI Creator: Meet Deepseek founder Liang Wenfeng worth $36 billion
Ranked among China’s 100 richest people, Mr Liang was on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI in 2025 and on Fortune’s 100 Most Powerful People in Business.

Economy
FG expresses commitment to improving ease of doing business
FG says it remains committed to improving the ease of doing business, strengthening investor confidence and implementing policies that encourage enterprise growth.

Health
ATBUTH unveils digital app to enhance healthcare service delivery
The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, has unveiled a DHS mobile app to enhance healthcare service delivery.

Ibadan
Oyo Terrorists: ASNAT hails Oriire schoolchildren’s military rescue operation
The Association of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians has commended President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian military for rescuing abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo state.

States
Navy reaffirms commitment to national development through civil-military relations
Nigerian Navy chief Idi Abbas has reaffirmed commitment to national development through strengthened civil-military relations and sustainable community development initiatives.





