Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday, meeting with the hermit nation’s military and political leaders as the communist dictatorships deepen their ties — and the world fears World War III.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced the sit-down but did not specify with whom Belousov would meet, but it signals the latest advancement in Pyongyang and Moscow’s relationship about a month after North Korea sent at least 10,000 troops to assist Russia in its war on Ukraine.
“Russia and North Korea are good neighbors and longtime friends,” Belousov said during talks with North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol on Friday, according to the Russian state-owned news outlet TASS.
It came five months after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, during which the US adversaries signed a treaty formally strengthening their “partnership,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In discussions with his North Korean counterpart, Belousov emphasized the importance of that visit, saying that Putin’s meeting with Kim “showed the highest level of mutual trust” between the two foes of America, according to TASS.
“The most important outcome of the [June] summit was the signing of a new fundamental interstate document — the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and North Korea,” the Russian defense minister said, per TASS.
In photos released by the Russian Defense Ministry, Belousov walked by No on a red carpet at a Pyongyang airport with North Korean military officials were clapping under a banner reading, “Complete support and solidarity with the fighting Russian army and people.”
The strengthening of ties has deeply concerned US officials and defense experts — with the deployment of North Korean troops to fight alongside the Russian military seen as a major escalation in the nearly three-year-long war that has Europeans fortifying their defenses for fear of a larger escalation of the conflict.
Secret documents revealed last week showed the Germany had begun making plans for how it could help deploy as many as 800,000 NATO troops — including Americans — into Ukraine as Russia’s war rages on.
Sweden and Norway also recently issued pamphlets and literature instructing citizens on how to prepare should the Ukraine conflict boil over into their countries.
Former and future President Donald Trump regularly warned audiences at his campaign rallies ahead of the 2024 election that the US could be on the brink of World War III as three of America’s foremost adversaries — Russia, North Korea and Iran — are now actively involved in conflicts with US allies.
