A top Russian official on Saturday warned the United States, Japan, and South Korea against forming a strategic alliance targeting North Korea, one of Russia’s key allies in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
“We warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency.
Lavrov’s comments came as he visited North Korea to meet with his counterpart, Choe Son Hui.
Russia and North Korea’s alliance has strengthened, as seen in North Korea’s supply of troops and ammunition to the Ukrainian battlefield in support of Russia. The deployment was ordered after the two nations struck a mutual security agreement in June 2024.
Now, they are banding together to ward off potential foreign influence in East Asia.
The U.S., Japan, and South Korea on Friday held military exercises involving U.S. bomber aircraft near the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. The communist state is estimated to possess about 50 nuclear weapons, with the capacity to produce more.
Military officials from the U.S. and its two Asian allies met in Seoul, urging South Korea’s northern neighbor to stop pursuing any unlawful activities that threaten regional security, namely its nuclear program. North Korea, which views the joint air drill as an intentional provocation, is determined to protect itself against military threats.
Lavrov defended the Russian ally’s efforts to develop a nuclear arsenal.
“The technologies used by North Korea are the result of the work of its own scientists,” he said. “We respect North Korea’s aspirations and understand the reasons why it is pursuing nuclear development.”
While speaking with Lavrov, Choe said North Korea “unconditionally” supports Russia’s war against Ukraine and described ties between the two nations as an “invincible alliance.”
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT NORTH KOREA AS TRUMP TURNS ON PUTIN
The meeting was the latest in a series of high-profile visits of Russian officials to North Korea.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu met Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un during a trip to North Korea last month for the second time. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea last June when he struck the pact with Kim.