Lavrov says Russia and North Korea are working to build a "new and righteous world order"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told North Korea’s Choe Son Hui that their countries are working to build a reshaped global order based on fairness between states, state media reported. The KCNA-reported message came amid deepening ties after roughly 14,000 North Korean troops deployed to Russia in late 2024 helped repel Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region. Putin declared victory there in May and thanked Pyongyang. Lavrov pledged broader cooperation in all spheres and cited the North Korean contingent’s role in Kursk as proof of long-standing military friendship, while repeating Russia’s portrayal of Ukraine’s leadership as Nazis. Western and South Korean governments worry Russia may aid North Korea’s weapons development; Ukraine’s president has said up to 50,000 additional North Korean soldiers would be sent to Russia in a fresh deployment.