Russian defence minister visits North Korea

MOSCOW - Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has arrived in North Korea, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on April 26, the second senior Russian official to visit Pyongyang in recent days.

Earlier, North Korean state media KCNA reported that Russia’s State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin had also arrived in Pyongyang and will attend the opening ceremony of a newly built memorial for North Korean troops who died fighting in the Ukraine war.

Mr Belousov is due to hold talks with North Korea’s top leadership and senior military officials and will take part in “ceremonial and commemorative events”, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to mark the opening of the memorial, the Kremlin said.

Mr Putin thanked Mr Kim and North Korean soldiers for helping Russia repel a major Ukrainian incursion into its western Kursk region and said he was confident the two countries would continue to strengthen their strategic partnership.

Mr Kim and Mr Putin met in June 2024 and signed a comprehensive strategic treaty that includes a mutual defence pact. The two countries have rapidly developed diplomatic and military ties since 2023. REUTERS