Shoigu Meets Kim Jong Un Amid Strengthening Russia-North Korea Defense Ties

According to Moscow’s official statement, Russian Security Council chief Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday.

The meeting follows the signing of a defense pact between Russia and North Korea, as Moscow seeks to secure ammunition and resources amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.

“The discussions in Pyongyang occurred in a uniquely trusting and friendly atmosphere, aligning with the agreements reached during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit,” Russia’s Security Council announced.

It added that Shoigu’s talks with Kim will significantly advance the implementation of the defense agreement.

Shoigu, who served as Russia’s defense minister until May, visited Pyongyang as Russia faces mounting international isolation and intensifying accusations from Western countries and South Korea of receiving arms from North Korea to support its war efforts.

Ukraine has previously claimed to have found North Korean munitions on the battlefield.

The international community heavily sanctions both Russia and North Korea. While Moscow has historic ties with Pyongyang, dating back to Soviet assistance in the founding of North Korea, relations have further strengthened following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led to a sharp deterioration of its ties with the West.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea, where he signed a mutual defense pact with the reclusive regime.

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Austin said he had "not seen significant reporting" of North Korean troops being "actively engaged in combat" to date.

The deepening military cooperation between the two countries has drawn sharp criticism from the West, which continues to monitor the evolving alliance closely.

In early January, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reported that Russia had launched North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and again on January 2 and 6, 2024.

South Korea’s UN representative Hwang Joon-kuk stated that North Korea was using Ukraine as a”"testing ground” for ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

On January 11, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced that the Prosecutor General's Office had obtained the first evidence of the Kremlin’s forces using North Korean missiles in Ukraine.

However, North Korea dismissed the U.S. accusations of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia as “baseless.”

On February 22, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed that it had documented instances of Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure using North Korean weapons. According to the investigation, Russian forces fired more than 20 North Korean-made weapons at Ukraine.

By March 14, the Kharkiv prosecutor’s office reported that Russia had launched approximately 50 North Korean Hwasong-11 missiles across six regions of Ukraine. South Korean officials noted that since the previous year, North Korea had supplied around 7,000 containers of ammunition and other military equipment to Russia.

In July, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik revealed that North Korea had transferred more than 5 million artillery shells and dozens of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.