Belarusian President Lukashenko arrives in North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in North Korea’s capital on Wednesday, where he is expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Lukashenko was greeted at Pyongyang’s airport by senior North Korean official Kim Tok Hun, who was appointed vice premier this week, according to Belarusian state news agency Belta. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency earlier reported that Lukashenko would make an official visit at Kim’s invitation, but did not immediately confirm his arrival.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over three decades with an iron fist, is a close ally of the Kremlin. He allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and later authorized the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Kim has also prioritized Russia in recent years, sending thousands of troops and large quantities of weapons to support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while pursuing a more assertive foreign policy aimed at expanding ties with countries that oppose Washington.

During a speech at North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament on Monday, Kim accused the United States of global “state terrorism and aggression,” in an apparent reference to the war in the Middle East, and called for Pyongyang to play a stronger role in a united front against Washington amid rising anti-American sentiment.

According to Belta, bilateral ties between North Korea and Belarus are on the agenda of the talks of the two leaders. Lukashenko last met Kim in September 2025 in Beijing and was invited to visit North Korea, the agency reported. In 2024, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov visited North Korea. Ryzhenkov said the countries will sign a friendship and cooperation treaty during the visit.

___ AP writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed from Seoul, South Korea.