Lavrov, Choe hold third strategic dialogue as bilateral ties deepen
The two top diplomats agreed during the third round of the Russia-North Korea strategic dialogue that “the irresponsible conduct of the United States and its allies, including the expansion of provocative military activities around the Korean Peninsula, has been the primary cause of the deteriorating security situation in Northeast Asia and beyond,” according to a readout from Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
The language echoed Pyongyang’s longstanding condemnations of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which North Korea regularly describes as rehearsals for an invasion. North Korea has also recently criticized Japan’s military buildup and its expanding security ties with Washington and Seoul, accusing the three countries of using their growing defense cooperation to contain North Korea and neighboring countries.
Choe met with Putin in Moscow on Sunday before the strategic talks, and her three-day visit included a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin, North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency reported.
KCNA said the discussions focused on “the implementation of the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, high-level visits, the plan for multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries and diplomatic coordination on major international issues of mutual concern.” The statement said Choe “expressed invariable support for all the internal and external policies of the Russian Federation to eliminate the root cause of the Ukrainian dispute and defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice.”
The deepening relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang follows the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in June 2024 that includes a mutual defense clause. The partnership “contributes to regional and international security and to the emergence of a new, more equitable multipolar world order,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
North Korea has provided direct military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, Pyongyang has sent munitions and roughly 15,000 troops to support Russian forces in the Kursk region, with an estimated 2,000 of those troops killed.
Kim Jong Un last traveled to Russia in September 2023, when he met Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country’s Far East and toured military and industrial facilities. Putin made a reciprocal visit to Pyongyang in June 2024.