Russian President Vladimir Putin met today in Moscow with the North Korean foreign minister Choe Son-hui, reported Reuters and TASS, quoted by BTA.
Choe visited Russia last week for the second time in six weeks amid growing Western concerns about military cooperation between the two countries. According to the US, Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia and is preparing to join the war in Ukraine on Moscow's side.
Video of the meeting shows the two shaking hands for a full minute as Putin welcomes Choe to the Kremlin. The Russian president emphasized that they are meeting on the day his country celebrates National Unity Day, and Choe conveyed “sincere, warm, comradely greetings” of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
On Friday, the North Korean foreign minister told her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that the two countries are bound by an “invincible military friendship” and promised that North Korea will stand by Russia “until the day of victory” in Ukraine.
Last week, the Kremlin said there were no plans for a meeting between Choe and Putin, Reuters recalls.