Kim Jong Un says Russia has right to defend itself against Ukraine

Kim Jong Un stated that Russia has the right to defend itself against Ukraine during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Reuters reported, citing North Korea's central news agency.

The North Korean leader accused the West and the U.S. of forcing Ukraine to use long-range weapons against Russia, asserting that Russia "should take action to make hostile forces pay the price."

Kim also pledged that North Korea would continue strengthening relations with Russia across all sectors, including military cooperation, under the framework of a comprehensive strategic partnership formalized in June and ratified in November.

"The DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea – ed.] government, army and people will invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity from the imperialists' moves for hegemony," Kim said.

However, he did not discuss the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia or potential arms supplies during his talks with the Russian defense minister.