Russia's Lavrov hails deeper ties in North Korea visit

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - SEOUL — Moscow has pledged its "complete support" for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, says Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov, who is on an official trip to North Korea, also thanked the country for its support in Ukraine. His ongoing trip sets the stage for a possible visit to North Korea by President Vladimir Putin. Last week, the US said North Korea had begun sending large shipments of arms to Russia for use in Ukraine. Lavrov's two-day visit follows on the heels of Kim's days-long visit to Russia in September — his first trip abroad since the pandemic — where he met with Putin to discuss "possibilities" for military cooperation. Earlier in July, Russia's defense minister also visited North Korea and was shown the country's latest weapons, including the Hwasong intercontinental ballistic missile. At an official reception on Wednesday, Lavrov pledged Moscow's "complete support" for Kim and accused the US and its allies of unleashing a "war against the Russian federation". He also said he was there to discuss implementing the arrangements made when Mr Putin and Mr Kim met last month, but did not elaborate further. It is unclear if Lavrov would meet with Kim during his current trip, like he did on his last visit to Pyongyang in 2018. However Washington had warned that Moscow is buying weapons from Pyongyang for its war against Ukraine, and said any help from the North would violate United Nations resolutions. On Friday, the US released intelligence and evidence, which it said showed the transfer of ammunition and artillery had already started. Satellite images showed 300 containers had been shipped from the North Korean port of Nanjin to Dunay on Russia's east coast in early September, and then transported to a military warehouse near Tikhoretsk, close to the Ukrainian border. Moscow would be keen on North Korean arms due to their compatibility with Russian weapon systems, experts earlier told the BBC. North Korea has a large stockpile of arms, due to its unresolved conflict with the South. The two countries are technically still at war. International sanctions and pandemic restrictions, which have only begun loosening recently, have left North Korea's economy in a dire state, with the country short of essentials like food and medicine. Some analysts believe Kim would have asked for humanitarian aid during the alleged arms deal with Russia in September. Still, some think that Pyongyang may be reluctant to hand over too much ammunition given their relative lack of resources. Over the past six months, both North Korea and Russia have pledged to deepen ties with each other as both countries have become increasingly isolated on the world stage. — BBC