Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko received an enthusiastic welcome from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first two-day visit to Pyongyang, according to state media from both countries, as the two leaders moved to upgrade relations into what they called a “new stage.”
The two strongmen — both long isolated from the West — are bound by their support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and shared pariah status under international sanctions and human rights scrutiny.
“The friendly relations between our states, born during the era of the Soviet Union, have never been interrupted,” Lukashenko said, according to Belarusian state news agency Belta. “Today, thanks to comprehensive and steady development, we are entering a fundamentally new phase.”
He added that “independent countries must cooperate more closely” to safeguard sovereignty — language widely seen as a rebuke to Western pressure.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Lukashenko arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday aboard a special aircraft and paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, laying bouquets for North Korea’s former leaders, including one on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin — underscoring the triangular alignment among Pyongyang, Minsk and Moscow.
The visit follows growing engagement between the two countries, with Lukashenko turning more openly toward North Korea after Pyongyang dispatched troops to support Russia
Kim and Lukashenko first met in September in Beijing on the sidelines of a military parade, where the North Korean leader extended an invitation for the visit. In a letter earlier this month, Kim said he was “willing to expand and develop” bilateral ties “to a new, higher stage in line with the demands of the new era,” KCNA said.
Lukashenko was accompanied by a senior delegation including Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko and ministers overseeing foreign affairs, health, education and industry, signaling broad-based cooperation.
North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu were among officials who greeted him at the airport.
The two sides signed a friendship and cooperation treaty, marking what they described as a “fundamental” shift in relations — a move that cements an emerging axis among U.S.-sanctioned states as geopolitical divisions deepen.
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