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Russia has issued yet another terrifying warning to the West after the Russian defence minister Sergei Lavrov met with the North Korean foreign minister in Pyongyang this week.<\/p>\n
Russia minister Lavrov flew to the hermit state on Wednesday (October 18) for a two-day trip, and during his visit he thanked North Korea for its strong support for Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The meeting comes around a month after Vladimir Putin met with leader Kim Jong-Un in Russia, a meeting which triggered intense speculation that Mr Kim seeks sophisticated Russian technologies to modernise his nuclear arsenal in return for supplying conventional arms to refill Russia\u2019s exhausted weapons inventory.<\/p>\n
While Lavrov did not confirm the nature of the meeting between the two leaders last month, he did terrifyingly confirm that the relationship had ‘reached a new level’.<\/p>\n
He said at the start of the meeting with North Korea’s Choe Sun Hui: “After the historic summit between President Putin and Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome on September 13, we can confidently say that the relations have reached a qualitatively new strategic level.”<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Hamas terrorists \u2018likely used some North Korean weapons in attack on Israel\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Neither country immediately released details of the meeting, but Mr Lavrov said on Wednesday that his visit was meant to discuss implementing the unspecified agreements between Mr Putin and Mr Kim that were reached during their September summit.<\/p>\n During a banquet dinner held for him, Mr Lavrov said Russia deeply values North Korea\u2019s \u201cunwavering and principled support\u201d for its war on Ukraine as well as Pyongyang\u2019s decision to recognise the independence of Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, according to Russia\u2019s foreign ministry.<\/p>\n According to Russia\u2019s state-run Interfax news agency, Lavrov added: “We are fully aware that many countries worldwide share similar viewpoints and assessments, but only a select few, such as (North Korea), explicitly declare their solidarity with Russia and can express it openly.”<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> According to North Korea\u2019s state media, Mr Lavrov also praised North Korea for \u201cremaining unfazed by any pressure of the US and the West\u201d and said Russia fully supports Mr Kim\u2019s push to protect its security and economic interests.<\/p>\n Ms Choe said at the dinner banquet that Pyongyang and Moscow were building an \u201cunbreakable comradely relationship\u201d under the \u201cstrategic\u201d decisions and leadership of Mr Kim and Mr Putin, the North\u2019s official Korean Central News Agency said.<\/p>\n The White House said on Friday that North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.<\/p>\n The White House released images that it said show the containers were loaded on to a Russian-flagged ship before being moved via train to southwestern Russia.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n The containers were shipped between September 7 and October 1 between Najin, North Korea, and Dunay, Russia, according to the White House.<\/p>\n Since last year, the US has accused North Korea of providing ammunition, artillery shells and rockets to Russia, likely much of them copies of Soviet-era munitions.<\/p>\n North Korea has steadfastly denied it shipped arms to Russia, but South Korean officials said North Korean weapons provided to Russia had already been used in Ukraine.<\/p>\n The recently flurry of diplomacy between Moscow and Pyongyang underscores how their interests are aligning in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the United States.<\/p>\n In July, when Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea, Mr Kim took him to an arms exhibition and a military parade, where some of the North\u2019s newest and most powerful weapons were displayed.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/Choe-Son-Sui-5021121.jpg?r=1697707855769\")
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