Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday warned the United States, South Korea, and Japan against forming any military alliance aimed at North Korea, cautioning that such moves would further destabilize the region and risk wider conflict.
Lavrov, who arrived in North Korea on Friday, met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coastal city of Wonsan. In remarks to reporters, Lavrov stated:
“The North Korean leadership drew the necessary conclusions long before the Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. These conclusions were made in good time, and no one is considering using force against North Korea despite the military buildup around the country by the United States, South Korea, and Japan. We warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia.”
His comments came in direct response to Friday’s trilateral military exercises conducted by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, which included joint air drills involving American nuclear-capable bombers near the Korean Peninsula.
Lavrov’s reference to “necessary conclusions” alluded to North Korea’s decision to pursue a nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s—an approach many in Pyongyang believe spared the country from the fate of others who attempted to negotiate with the West.
In 1994, North Korea signed a nuclear deal with Washington to dismantle its program. However, after being labeled part of the “Axis of Evil” by President George W. Bush in 2002, the U.S. accused Pyongyang of secretly enriching uranium. By 2003, North Korea had expelled International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors and withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006.
This approach is often contrasted with Iran’s experience. After more than a decade of negotiations, Tehran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, only for the U.S. to withdraw from the agreement under President Donald Trump in 2019—leading to renewed sanctions and military strikes by both the U.S. and Israel.
Moscow and Pyongyang formalized their growing partnership last year with the signing of a Treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, effectively making them military allies. As part of that cooperation, North Korean troops were reportedly deployed to Russia’s Kursk region to support operations against Ukrainian forces.
At the time of the treaty’s signing, Russian officials cited South Korea’s military support for Ukraine—particularly its supply of artillery shells and other weapons—as a major factor driving Moscow’s decision to deepen ties with North Korea, despite prior warnings to Seoul.