The speaker of Russia’s parliament, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, arrived in North Korea on Saturday to attend an event to commemorate Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to help Moscow in the Ukraine conflict, Tass news agency reported.
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s Duma, was welcomed by Jo Yong-won, Russian news agency Tass said. Jo is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s close political confidant and the head of the Supreme People’s Assembly.
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 troops to fight with Russian forces against Ukraine. More than 6,000 of them have been killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials.
North Korea is expected to hold a ceremony to mark the “liberation of Kursk” a year after Moscow declared the region had been recaptured from Ukraine.
North Korea’s Kim and Putin met in June 2024 and signed a comprehensive strategic treaty that includes a mutual defence pact. The two countries had rapidly developed diplomatic and military ties since 2023.
