N Korea says will stand by Russia until 'victory' in Ukraine

MOSCOW

North Korean flag flies over its embassy in Moscow on Oct. 31, 2024.

North Korea will stand by Russia until its "victory" in Ukraine, Pyongyang's foreign minister said in Moscow amid growing fears that the reclusive country will enter the Ukraine conflict.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui made the statement after talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

She was in Moscow as the West claims that thousands of North Korean troops are in Russia and may possibly be used in Ukraine.

"We repeat that we will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day," North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said, according to a Russian translation.

"We have no doubt whatsoever that under the wise leadership of the honorable Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian army and people will surely achieve a great victory in their sacred struggle to defend the sovereign rights and security of their state," she added.

Russia's Lavrov hailed the close ties between the two countries' armies and special services.

Moscow signed a mutual defense pact with Pyongyang this summer.

"Very close ties have been established between the militaries and special services of the two countries," he said. "This will also make it possible to solve significant security issues for our citizens and yours."

He said Moscow was "deeply grateful to our Korean friends for their principled position on the events that have unfolded in Ukraine."

Neither minister mentioned Western reports on North Korean troop deployment.

The pair earlier unveiled a memorial plaque in honor of North Korea's Kim Il-Sung's visit to the USSR in 1949.

The U.S. has stated that 8,000 North Korean soldiers are training in Russia and could be deployed to fight in Ukraine.

Lavrov also warned in an interview published Friday in Hürriyet daily, just days ahead of a U.S. presidential election, that the United States and Russia are very close to engaging in "direct military conflict."

"Under the current president (Joe Biden), who has taken the downward spiral of Russophobia in the U.S. to its logical conclusion, our countries are on the brink of direct military conflict," he told the Hürriyet daily, without elaborating.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to South Korean media, denounced what he called inaction by his allies regarding the North Korean troop deployment.

Russia has sought to deepen its relations with North Korea since sending troops to Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual assistance pact with North Korea's Kim Jong Un when he visited Pyongyang this summer.