Russia, North Korea Seal Long-Term Military Deal

(MENAFN) Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov held high-level talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Sunday, with both sides signaling a deepening and formalized defense partnership stretching into the next decade.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the meeting, stating that Belousov and Kim reviewed the current state and future trajectory of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

"We have agreed with the Ministry of Defense of the DPRK to place military cooperation on a stable, long-term basis. We are ready to sign this year the Plan for Russian-Korean Military Interaction for the period 2027–2031," Belousov said.

The minister struck a notably warm diplomatic tone throughout, describing the encounter with the North Korean leader as a personal distinction.

"Russian-Korean interstate relations are at an unprecedentedly high level," Belousov said. "The current year promises to be no less eventful in terms of bilateral contacts across a number of areas."

He also expressed gratitude to Kim for extending an invitation to the Russian military delegation to attend the inauguration of a museum and memorial complex honoring the battlefield contributions of Korean military personnel abroad — an event Belousov framed as carrying deep symbolic weight.

"It is a great honor and privilege for us to take part in this historic event," he said.

The visit underscores the accelerating alignment between Moscow and Pyongyang at a time when both nations face mounting pressure from the West, with Sunday's talks laying the groundwork for what both sides described as a structured, multi-year framework for defense collaboration.

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