Russian Defense Minister visits North Korea in Pyongyang

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Sunday, April 26, 2026, in a visit that officials described as part of a run of senior-level contacts between Moscow and Pyongyang. It was the second trip by a high-ranking Russian official to the North Korean capital in recent days, according to the same account.

 

Belousov is scheduled to hold talks with North Korean leadership and senior military officials, and to take part in ceremonial events during the visit. The trip was presented as reflecting a closer strategic relationship between the two countries amid wider geopolitical tensions.

 

The visit comes shortly after Russia’s State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin traveled to Pyongyang. Volodin attended the inauguration of a memorial dedicated to North Korean troops who perished in the Ukraine conflict, according to the account provided.

 

In a separate diplomatic exchange, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to thank North Korea for assistance that Putin said helped repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Putin also said he was confident the strategic partnership between the two countries would continue to strengthen.

 

Officials linked the latest contacts to a broader framework established by a comprehensive strategic treaty signed by Kim and Putin in June 2024. The agreement includes a mutual defense pact, and the same account said it has accelerated diplomatic and military ties since 2023.

 

While the schedule for Belousov’s meetings was described in general terms, details of the discussions and any outcomes were not provided in the information available. It also remained unclear which specific North Korean officials would participate in the talks, beyond references to leadership and senior military figures.