Sergey Lavrov meets Kim Jong Un in North Korea

Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Pyongyang.
Russian Foreign Minister is on his official visit to North Korea where he met with various top leaders and ministers of North Korea.
Kim also personally received Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Pyongyang.
"President of the State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong Un received Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov," the Russian Foreign Minister posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Earlier in the day, Lavrov attended a solemn ceremony in North Korea's Pyongyang where he laid flowers at the monuments of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, as well as at the Liberation Monument.
Lavrov also laid flowers at Andrey Karlov's bas-relief at the Russian Embassy in DPRK, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
The Russian leader also paid tribute to the Red Army soldiers who laid their lives in the fight for independence from Axis Japan's occupation and laid flowers at the Soviet Memorial cemetery.
Lavrov also met with the North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui and also participated in the signing ceremony of the Inter-Ministry of Foreign Affairs Exchange plan.
Earlier in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un held a meeting at a Russian spaceport.
According to observers, Putin's visit to Pyongyang will be discussed during Lavrov's visit to North Korea, according to Yonhap News Agency report. Notably, Putin earlier this month accepted Kim Jong Un's invitation to visit Russia.
During his visit to Russia, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Russia will emerge victorious in the fight to "punish the evil forces", adding that he would "always be standing with Russia", CNN reported.
He praised Russia for having "stood up against the hegemonic forces" to defend its sovereignty and security - a veiled reference to the US and the West - and said he has expressed "the full and unconditional support to all that Russia does in response", CNN reported.