Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) gestures beside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a welcome ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on his first official visit to North Korea, state media reported Thursday. Photo by KCNA/EPA
SEOUL, March 26 (UPI) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in North Korea this week for his first official visit to the country, state media reported Thursday, as Pyongyang and Minsk deepen ties while both support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Lukashenko was greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a formal welcoming ceremony held Wednesday at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
The visit highlights growing alignment among Western-sanctioned states that have backed Moscow since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea has supplied Russia with munitions and deployed about 15,000 troops to assist operations in the Kursk region, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. Belarus, a close Kremlin ally, has provided logistical and territorial support for Russian military operations.
KCNA said the reception featured a guard of honor, an honorary cavalry unit and a 21-gun salute, with the national anthems of both countries played before the two leaders reviewed troops.
“When a limousine carrying the Belarusian president arrived at Kim Il Sung Square amid the playing of welcome music, Kim Jong Un gladly met with Aleksandr Lukashenko and warmly welcomed his visit to the DPRK,” KCNA said.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.
Senior North Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and key Workers’ Party secretaries, attended alongside Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov and other members of Lukashenko’s delegation.
Later Wednesday, Lukashenko laid a wreath at Pyongyang’s Liberation Tower, accompanied by Kim, in a ceremony honoring Soviet soldiers who died fighting for Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
The two leaders observed a moment of silence before a march-past by an honor guard of the Korean People’s Army, KCNA said.
Lukashenko also visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the preserved bodies of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il — Kim Jong Un’s grandfather and father — lie in state. He laid a bouquet sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin, KCNA said.
North Korea and Belarus have expanded diplomatic and economic contacts in recent years, with both countries facing heavy international sanctions and seeking to bolster alternative partnerships.
The two sides plan to sign a treaty on friendship and cooperation during the visit, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported, along with about 10 agreements covering education, culture, healthcare and agriculture.
Kim and Lukashenko last met in September 2025 in Beijing on the sidelines of a Chinese military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Lukashenko’s trip also comes amid an ongoing thaw in relations with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The Belarusian strongman, who has been in power for 32 years, met last week in Minsk with Trump’s special envoy John Coale and subsequently ordered the release of 250 political prisoners.
In return, the United States eased sanctions on Belarus’ state investment bank and three potash-related companies. Coale told the Financial Times on Monday that Washington is looking to invite Lukashenko to meet Trump at the White House or Mar-a-Lago.
Belarus has faced heavy sanctions and international isolation following a violent crackdown on protests in 2020.
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