Video: watson/Elena Maria Müller
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko traveled to North Korea for a two-day state visit. He and Kim Jong Un signed a friendship treaty – gifts were also exchanged.
March 28, 2026, 11:36 amMarch 28, 2026, 11:36 am
Lukashenko gave Kim Jong Un an automatic rifle in front of cameras. “Just in case enemies appear,” Lukashenko joked – which made Kim laugh, who examined the weapon with interest and tried out the reloading mechanism. There was also vodka, bread, chocolate and traditional fabrics. In return, he gave his guest a vase with a picture of Lukashenko, a coin and a sword.
The two heads of state signed an agreement on friendship and cohesion between North Korea and Belarus. Loud Picture Details of the contract are hardly known. Accordingly, it remains unclear what this agreement may mean in the future.
Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang – the first in his 33-year rule – underscored a diplomatic balancing act as he strengthens ties with countries friendly to Russia and hostile to the West. At the same time, he is trying to normalize relations with the United States.
His trip followed a meeting last week with John Coale, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, and the release of 250 political prisoners in return for further easing of US sanctions against Belarus.
While the two countries have small bilateral trade volumes, they share a long history of surviving under sanctions – North Korea for its nuclear and missile programs and Belarus for its human rights record and support for Putin in Ukraine (Reuters/emm).
Video: watson/Elena Maria Müller
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