Russian FM Pledges Support for N.Korea

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for more than an hour in Pyongyang this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Russia did not disclose details of the talks, but experts believe they discussed North Korean military support for Russia's war in Ukraine and a possible visit to Pyongyang by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a speech at a reception on Wednesday, Lavrov thanked Pyongyang for its support in the Ukraine war and expressed Moscow's "complete support and solidarity" for Kim.

The North is believed to have delivered some 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia, but it is not clear what it got in return.

The official Rodong Sinmun daily quoted Lavrov as saying Russia "fully supports all policies" of the North. After talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui, Lavrov said, "The U.S., Japan and South Korea intensifying military activity here and Washington working toward moving strategic infrastructure, including nuclear elements, here, are of great concern to us and our North Korean friends."

"We oppose this unconstructive and dangerous line," he added.

On Tuesday, a day before Lavrov's arrival, satellite images showed a pile of containers at North Korea's Rajin port that the U.S. had earlier pinpointed as a hub for the arms trade between the North and Russia, Voice of America reported.