Russia warns US, South Korea and Japan against forming security alliance targeting North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russia’s overseas curate connected Saturday warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan against forming a information concern targeting North Korea arsenic helium visited his country's state for talks connected further solidifying their booming subject and different cooperation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke astatine North Korea's eastbound Wonsan city, wherever helium met the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, and conveyed greetings from President Vladimir Putin.

Relations betwixt Russia and North Korea person been flourishing successful caller years, with North Korea supplying troops and ammunition to enactment Russia’s warfare against Ukraine successful instrumentality for subject and economical assistance. That has raised concerns among South Korea, the U.S. and others that Russia mightiness besides transportation to North Korea delicate technologies that tin summation the information of its atomic and rocket programs.

Speaking with reporters aft a gathering with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, Lavrov accused the U.S., South Korea and Japan of what helium called their subject buildups astir North Korea.

“We pass against exploiting these ties to physique alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia,” helium said, according to Russia's authorities Tass quality agency.

The U.S., South Korea and Japan person been expanding oregon restoring their trilateral subject exercises successful effect to North Korea’s advancing atomic program. On Friday, the 3 countries held a associated aerial drill involving U.S. nuclear-capable bombers adjacent the Korean Peninsula, arsenic their apical subject officers met successful Seoul and urged North Korea to cease each unlawful activities that endanger determination security.

North Korea views large U.S.-led subject drills arsenic penetration rehearsals. It has agelong argued that it’s forced to make atomic weapons to support itself from U.S. subject threats.

Lavrov said Russia understands North Korea’s determination to question atomic weapons.

“The technologies utilized by North Korea are the effect of the enactment of its ain scientists. We respect North Korea’s aspirations and recognize the reasons wherefore it is pursuing atomic development,” Lavrov said, according to Tass.

During their meeting, Choe reiterated that North Korea “unconditionally” supports Russia’s combat against Ukraine, arsenic Lavrov repeated Russia’s gratitude for the publication that North Korean troops made successful efforts to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk borderline region.

Wonsan city, the gathering venue, is wherever North Korea precocious opened a mammoth formation edifice that it says tin accommodate astir 20,000 people.

In his comments astatine the commencement of his gathering with Choe, Lavrov said that “I americium definite that Russian tourists volition beryllium progressively anxious to travel here. We volition bash everything we tin to facilitate this, creating conditions for this, including aerial travel,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Wonsan-Kalma tourer portion is astatine the halfway of Kim's propulsion to boost tourism arsenic a mode to amended his country’s troubled economy. However, prospects for the tourer analyzable aren’t clear, arsenic North Korea appears improbable to afloat reopen its borders and clasp Western tourists anytime soon.

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Associated Press newsman Elise Morton successful Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.