North Korea and Russia pledge mutual support at Moscow talks; 15,000 troops sent, 2,000 killed in Ukraine

The Moscow meeting

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov convened in Moscow on Monday, 20 July 2026, for their third strategic dialogue. The meeting, reported by North Korean state media KCNA on Tuesday, produced an agreement to expand and accelerate bilateral cooperation. Both sides confirmed unanimity on all agenda items, with the implementation of the June 2024 comprehensive strategic partnership treaty at the center of discussions. The treaty, signed during a summit between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, includes mutual defense commitments and has served as the framework for deepening military ties.

Mutual support pledges

A joint statement issued after the dialogue codified the mutual backing. Russia pledged its "full support" for North Korea's measures against "hostile acts" threatening its sovereign rights and security interests. North Korea reciprocated with "unwavering support for all domestic and foreign policy measures" taken by Russia to "eliminate the root cause of the Ukraine conflict" and defend Russia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The language mirrors Moscow's framing of its 2022 invasion as a response to NATO expansion, a justification dismissed by Ukraine and Western allies as a pretext for unprovoked aggression.

North Korea expressed its unwavering support for all domestic and foreign policy measures of Russia aimed at eliminating the root cause of the Ukraine conflict.

Military cooperation and casualties

Behind the diplomatic statements lies a substantial military collaboration. North Korea has delivered large-scale shipments of ammunition and artillery shells to Russia since the start of the war. South Korean intelligence estimates that Pyongyang has also deployed up to 15,000 soldiers to support Russian operations in Ukraine. These troops were instrumental in repelling a Ukrainian offensive into the western Russian region of Kursk that began in 2024. The human cost is significant: at least 2,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed in combat, according to the same intelligence assessments. The deployment marks the first time North Korea has sent ground forces into a foreign conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Up to 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed, and at least 2,000 have been killed.

Diplomatic symbolism

Choe's visit carried symbolic weight beyond the negotiating table. She laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden outside the Kremlin wall. The North Korean delegation observed a minute of silence for those fallen in what KCNA termed the "Holy War to crush fascism," its characterization of Russia's war in Ukraine. On Sunday, 19 July, Choe met with President Vladimir Putin, delivering greetings from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Analysts interpret the visit as a possible signal of another trip by Kim to Russia; his last summit with Putin occurred in 2023.

The delegation paid tribute to the fallen in the Holy War to crush fascism.

Broader alignment

North Korea is not limiting its diplomatic outreach to Moscow. This month, Pyongyang held several high-level meetings with Chinese officials to mark the 65th anniversary of the friendship and mutual defense treaty between the two countries, originally signed in 1961. The simultaneous cultivation of ties with both Russia and China reflects a strategy to consolidate a bloc of states challenging the U.S.-led international order, even as the Ukraine war exacts a mounting toll on North Korean forces.