North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his unconditional support for Russia’s war against Ukraine during a meeting with a high-ranking Russian security official in Pyongyang, according to North Korean state media on Saturday.
Kim held “important and beneficial” talks with Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, the previous day, as reported by the KCNA agency. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on various topics, including the defense of their security interests and regional and global affairs.
Kim emphasized that the North Korean government maintains a firm stance in its support for Russia in defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security. Shoigu, for his part, handed Kim an “important signed letter” from Russian President Vladimir Putin, though KCNA did not disclose its contents.
Shoigu arrived in North Korea on Friday to meet with Kim and other high-ranking regime officials, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. This visit is part of the growing rapprochement between Moscow and Pyongyang. In mid-March, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko also visited the North Korean capital to discuss with Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui the possibility of future high-level political meetings, as reported by TASS.
South Korean authorities do not rule out the possibility of Kim Jong-un visiting Russia soon in response to Putin’s visit to North Korea in June of last year, according to National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik, as reported by the Yonhap agency.
Ties between Russia and North Korea have strengthened since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, with reports indicating the deployment of North Korean soldiers and weaponry in support of Russian forces.
Meanwhile, a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia the previous night left three dead and 12 injured, according to local authorities and emergency services. Ivan Fedorov, head of the Regional Military Administration, reported on Telegram that the attack claimed the lives of an entire family. “The bodies of the daughter and father were recovered from the rubble. Doctors fought for the mother’s life for more than ten hours, but unfortunately, they could not save her,” he explained.
Among the victims was a young girl, as confirmed by Ukraine’s State Emergency Services. Additionally, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched nearly 200 drones over various regions of the country, including Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kyiv. Of the 179 Shahed drones used in the attack, Ukrainian air defenses managed to shoot down 100, while 63 distraction drones were neutralized.
