“When other friendships have been forgot,
Ours will still be hot.”
(Lyrics from “Friendship,” by Cole Porter)

At a meeting yesterday in Moscow, North Korea’s Foreign Minister, Choe Son Hui, told her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that her country will back Russia until victory is achieved over Ukraine:

“Our traditional, historically friendly relations, which have travelled the tested path of history, today . . . are rising to a new level of relations of invincible military comradeship.” [Dmitry Antonov, Reuters, November 1, 2024.]

She tactfully remembered to add a few words of praise for both her president, Kim Jong Un, and for Lavrov’s boss, Vladimir Putin, saying that, under Putin’s “wise leadership,” the Russian army and people would “achieve a great victory in their sacred struggle to protect the sovereign rights and security interests of their state. And we also assure that until the day of victory we will firmly stand alongside our Russian comrades.” [Id.]

Excuse me, Madame Foreign Minister — the 1950s are calling, and they want their rhetoric back.

Lavrov also spoke of the “very close ties” between the two countries’ military forces, which he said would enable them to solve important security tasks together. But neither mentioned the 10,000 North Korean troops who have been sent to Russia, or the statements of the U.S., NATO, South Korea and Ukraine on that subject . . .

. . . about which the ever-present, always delightful Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, had separately tossed in his two rubles’ worth on Friday, stating simply that he had “nothing to add to what has already been said.” Not helpful, Dima.

Foreign Minister Lavrov did state, however:

“We are deeply grateful to our Korean friends for their principled position regarding the events that have now unfolded in Ukraine as a result of the West’s course of advancing NATO to the east and encouraging an openly racist regime to exterminate everything Russian.

”Very close contacts have been established between the military of the two countries and along the security services line — this also allows us to solve practically significant and important tasks for the security of our and your citizens.” [Id.]

(So now the North Koreans are “principled” and the Ukrainians are “racist.” Everybody got that?)

And Foreign Minister Choe added that North Korea and Russia must continue to deepen their ties in accordance with a treaty signed by Presidents Putin and Kim in June — a treaty that includes a mutual defense provision.

Is it any wonder that I can’t sleep at night?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/2/24