North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang last week, signing a friendship and cooperation treaty during a two-day visit and prompting Lukashenko to order an embassy be opened in the North Korean capital.
State media KCNA reported Kim lauded Belarus for achieving stability and economic development while defending its sovereignty. Lukashenko described bilateral ties as entering a “new development stage,” despite the countries’ geographic distance.
The two leaders discussed expanding cooperation in diplomacy, information sharing, agriculture, education and public health. To mark the visit, Lukashenko presented Kim with a VSK assault rifle, saying through an interpreter, “If enemies invade, you can use it,” while Kim gave Lukashenko a ceremonial cavalry sword.
Analysts say the summit advances a Minsk–Moscow–Pyongyang alignment. Andrei Lankov, a professor of history and international relations, argued such high-profile meetings bolster the participants’ international standing, undercut narratives of isolation and signal bloc solidarity against U.S. influence.
Kim has leaned on closer ties with Vladimir Putin as part of a more assertive foreign policy aimed at breaking out of isolation and enhancing regional sway. Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean lieutenant general, noted there was no public weapons deal, but suggested Belarus likely seeks North Korean missile and drone expertise. Chun added that Lukashenko, who attended a Pyongyang military parade, would have seen weapons offered “for sale” and been informed of other available capabilities.
Concerns about proliferation were amplified by state media photos showing Kim attending a test of a new missile engine soon after Lukashenko’s departure; analysts link the test to efforts toward MIRV capability. Pyongyang is also investing in nuclear technology, longer-range missiles and drones, and Chun warned those efforts pose risks if the technologies spread.
North Korea’s drone program has reportedly benefited from personnel deployed to Russia’s war in Ukraine, providing battlefield experience that Belarus may find valuable. Kim’s outreach to Lukashenko coincides with other diplomatic moves: KCNA signed a media cooperation agreement with Russia’s TASS, Air China resumed flights to Pyongyang after six years, and cross-border train services with China restarted. KCNA also quoted Kim thanking Xi Jinping for congratulating him on his reappointment and saying ties with China are rising to a “new, high stage.”
Chun said North Korea has a small circle of close ideological partners and is likely to keep prioritizing Russia, China and Belarus as the states most able to support Kim’s strategic goals.