North Korea, Belarus sign friendship treaty at Kim-Lukashenko summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a friendship and cooperation treaty following talks in Pyongyang, state media reported Friday. The agreement was reached during a summit on Thursday, marking what officials described as a new stage in relations between the two Russia-aligned countries.

Lukashenko arrived in North Korea this week for his first official visit to the country. He was greeted by Kim Jong Un at a formal welcoming ceremony held Wednesday at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

During the summit, the two leaders discussed expanding cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues, KCNA said. Kim expressed support for Belarus' efforts to maintain "socio-political stability and economic development" and defend its sovereignty on the international stage.

Lukashenko described bilateral ties as entering a "fundamentally new stage." In remarks reported by the Belarusian state news agency Belta, he stated: "In today's reality of a global transformation when the global powers openly ignore and violate international law, independent countries need to cooperate more closely, consolidate efforts aimed at protecting their sovereignty and improving the wellbeing of our citizens."

Both countries are close allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit highlights growing alignment among Western-sanctioned states that have backed Moscow since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has supplied Russia with munitions and deployed approximately 15,000 troops to assist operations in the Kursk region, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

Kim also slammed what he characterized as "pressure on Belarus from the West," according to reports of the summit discussions.