North Korea says it is “ready to resist” Vladimir Putin

is North Korea “Ready to receive the closest friend of the Korean people with the utmost sincerity”, North Korean Foreign Minister Cho Son Hui told Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow, according to a statement from his office published by the official KCNA agency on Sunday morning. like this^me Cho was in the Russian capital last week to meet with the Russian president and his counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Pyongyang and Moscow have recently strengthened their ties, including a rare visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the Russian Far East in September 2023. After which Mr. Kim invited the Russian President to North Korea.

Mr. Putin expressed “His willingness to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea soon”, referring to a press release broadcast by KCNA. According to the same document, Russia transmitted to North Korea “Thank you very much (…) To provide full support and solidarity to the position of the Russian government and people on special military operations in Ukraine”.

Senior Russian officials, including the defense and foreign ministers, visited North Korea in 2023, expressing fears of a possible arms deal. The White House recently accused Pyongyang of sending ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia.

Seoul, for its part, accused North Korea of ​​providing Moscow with more than a million artillery munitions in exchange for information and assistance on military satellite technology. In November 2023, Pyongyang succeeded in putting one of these spy devices into orbit.