North Korea’s Kim meets Lukashenko, slams ‘pressure ​on Belarus from West’

Putin’s allies mark a ‘fundamentally new ‌stage’ in bilateral relations with a friendship treaty during Pyongyang meeting.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have signed ⁠a friendship treaty aimed at deepening ties.

Both are close allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The treaty was signed on Thursday during Lukashenko’s two-day trip to Pyongyang. He told Kim that relations between their countries were entering a “fundamentally new ‌stage”, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported.

“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,” he said.

Belta quoted Kim as saying their two countries shared positions on many issues and “we oppose undue pressure on Belarus from the West.”