Russian FM lauds N. Korea's troop deployment, pledges closer ties in Liberation Day letter

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has praised North Korea's military assistance in Russia's war against Ukraine, according to a letter written to his North Korean counterpart on the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule. The letter, published by Pyongyang's state media, marked Aug. 15, the day Korea gained independence from Japan's 1910-45 occupation.

Lavrov highlighted that Russia and North Korea fought side by side during World War II to defeat Japanese militarism in 1945, which he said hastened the war's end. He further commended North Korea's support for Russia's conflict with Ukraine, describing the North's deployment of troops to the Kursk region as a testament to the "militant friendship" forged by their ancestors.

The letter emphasized that Russia and North Korea are now fighting on the same front to establish a new global order based on multipolarity and national sovereignty. Lavrov expressed confidence that the two nations would continue to strengthen their cooperation in various ways in the future.