Putin receives North Korean foreign minister for second time in less than a year

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui at the Kremlin on Sunday, underscoring the deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. This marks the second high-level meeting between the two nations in under a year, signaling a strategic alignment.

Putin expressed his high regard for the relationship, specifically thanking North Korea for its military assistance in Russia's campaign in Ukraine. He stated that Russia "will never forget" this support. Putin also conveyed warm greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with whom he maintains a relationship of "deep mutual understanding and friendship," according to the Kremlin.

Choe, in turn, conveyed Kim Jong-un's greetings and emphasized the "strategic" nature of the bilateral cooperation. She reaffirmed North Korea's "invariable" stance to continuously develop and strengthen relations with Russia. Choe pledged that Pyongyang will support Russia's efforts to bolster its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, aiming to eliminate the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine.

The meeting, which included Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, highlighted the extensive cooperation between the two countries. North Korea has been a key partner, providing military aid including ballistic missiles, combat vehicles, and artillery shells. In return, Russia is believed to have supplied North Korea with air defense systems, electronic warfare technology, and refined oil.

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