Russian parliament speaker arrives in North Korea
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s Duma, arrived in North Korea on Saturday to attend an event commemorating Pyongyang’s deployment of troops aiding Moscow in the Ukraine conflict.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s close political confidant and head of the Supreme People’s Assembly, Jo Yong-won, welcomed Volodin at Tass news agency.
An estimated 14,000 North Korean troops have been sent to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine. Over 6,000 have reportedly been killed in action, according to South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western officials.
North Korea is set to hold a ceremony marking the “liberation of Kursk,” one year after Moscow declared the region recaptured from Ukraine.
In June 2024, Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic treaty that includes a mutual defence pact. The two nations have rapidly developed diplomatic and military ties since 2023.