Moscow, Russia - North Korea reaffirmed its alliance with and support for Russia's war on Ukraine as the nations' foreign ministers met in Moscow, Pyongyang's state media reported on Tuesday.
Following a Moscow meeting between North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Sun-Hui and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Pyongyang's state media said the nations had "reaffirmed their steadfast political will to accelerate the long-term multifaceted development of the bilateral relations."
"The DPRK side 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," state news agency KCNA said.
The agency reported that Russia, meanwhile, expressed full support for North Korea's efforts to defend its sovereignty and security.
"I would like once again to express my gratitude for the support provided to the special military operation we are conducting," Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin on Sunday.
Choe laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers by the wall of the Kremlin on her visit, KCNA said Tuesday.
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un last traveled to Russia in September 2023, and Putin made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June 2024.
Choe's visit to Moscow could have been aimed at discussing a trip to Russia by Kim later this year.
"Putin has repeatedly invited Kim to visit Russia since his trip to Pyongyang in 2024," Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, told AFP.
Chinese president Xi Jinping made a rare trip to Pyongyang last month, where he and Kim pledged to bolster ties.
While Pyongyang has drawn closer to Moscow, China remains North Korea's largest economic partner, accounting for nearly 98% of the country's foreign trade in 2024.