North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged “unconditional support” for all measures taken by Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday.

The announcement came during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s three-day visit to North Korea, where he held high-level talks with Kim and his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan.

According to KCNA, Kim told Lavrov that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is fully committed to backing Russia’s efforts “to tackle the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis,” while also expressing confidence in Russia’s eventual victory. “Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership,” the agency said.

The meeting in Wonsan marked the second strategic dialogue between the two countries since the signing of a bilateral treaty in 2024 that includes a mutual defence clause. Officials on both sides reportedly discussed “important matters for faithfully implementing the agreements made at the historic DPRK-Russia summit talks in June 2024.”

Lavrov, in turn, conveyed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hope for “continued direct contacts in the very near future,” according to the Russian news agency TASS.

Military and diplomatic deepening

The latest meeting underscores the rapidly growing ties between the two heavily sanctioned nations. North Korea has reportedly sent more than 10,000 troops and supplied arms to Russia in recent months, although these claims have not been independently verified.

The partnership has become increasingly significant since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Facing international isolation and military challenges, Russia has turned to countries like North Korea and Iran to bolster its strategic position.

Lavrov’s visit appears aimed at reaffirming that partnership. Russian state media shared footage of the two men warmly greeting each other with a hug, followed by a formal meeting with North Korean officials.

Kim, in his remarks, expressed his “firm belief that the Russian army and people would surely win victory in accomplishing the sacred cause of defending the dignity and basic interests of the country.”

Flights and tourism

In a symbolic gesture of enhanced bilateral engagement, Russia recently announced it would initiate twice-weekly flights between Moscow and Pyongyang. Lavrov praised Wonsan as “a good tourist attraction” and expressed hope that it would be popular among Russian tourists.

Wonsan, historically a favoured location for North Korean military and political leadership, has been promoted by Pyongyang as part of its limited tourism efforts aimed at generating foreign currency.

Mutually reinforcing axis

Relations between Pyongyang and Moscow, once defined by Cold War dynamics, have evolved into a strategic partnership centred on mutual needs: economic cooperation, military supplies, and shared geopolitical interests in challenging Western dominance.

The 2024 partnership treaty signed during Putin’s rare visit to North Korea includes provisions for mutual defence — a development that has drawn concern from Western capitals. The treaty signalled a shift in Russia’s Asia policy and marked one of the most significant defence commitments made by Pyongyang in recent years.

The United States and its allies have warned that such alliances threaten to destabilise the broader Indo-Pacific and Eastern European regions, though direct consequences have yet to materialise.

Strategic implications

Analysts suggest that North Korea’s military support for Russia could bring reciprocal benefits, including access to advanced Russian weapons technologies and diplomatic cover at global forums such as the United Nations.

However, the cooperation also risks drawing North Korea deeper into a global conflict and exposing it to further international scrutiny and sanctions.

The visit by Lavrov — his second since the escalation of the Ukraine war — is widely seen as part of a broader effort by Moscow to build alternative diplomatic and economic networks beyond the Western orbit.

With the war in Ukraine entering its fourth year and no signs of resolution, both Moscow and Pyongyang appear determined to deepen their strategic alignment, potentially reshaping the geopolitical balance in Eurasia.