Lavrov in Pyongyang: Russia's urgent bid for more North Korean troops?
Russia's appeals to North Korea for military manpower have taken on new urgency with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's trip to Pyongyang on July 12-13, 2025. In his first visit to the North Korean capital since 2009, Lavrov praised North Korea's 'important contribution' in the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. North Korea sent an estimated 11,000 soldiers to Russia in November to help repel a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region, with some 4,000 reportedly killed or wounded. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meanwhile has pledged 'unconditional' support for Russia's actions in Ukraine, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
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