North Korea reaffirms support for Russia over Ukraine

North Korea reaffirmed its support for Moscow's war on Ukraine as the North Korean and Russian foreign ministers held talks in Moscow, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held what a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency called a “third strategic dialogue” on Monday. The statement said the partnership between the two countries was developing strongly.

KCNA said the North Korean side expressed unchanged support for Russian policies aimed at what it called eliminating the root cause of the Ukrainian dispute and defending Russia's national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Choe on Sunday and thanked North Korea for its support, which has included soldiers. In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin said he was grateful for support for what Russia calls its special military operation. He said Russia would not forget the deeds of North Korean soldiers and that they would be honored in the same way as Russian compatriots.

North Korea has sent troops to Russia's Kursk region and supplied weapons systems to support Moscow's war effort. Analysts cited in the source say North Korea has received financial assistance, food, energy supplies and military technology from Moscow in return.

During a visit to Pyongyang by senior Russian officials in late April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed support for Russia and pledged to help Moscow achieve victory in what he called its sacred war.