First North Korea visit by Lukashenko signals push for closer relations

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1305 EAT on Wednesday 25 March 2026

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has begun his first official visit to North Korea, in a move aimed at strengthening ties between two countries aligned in their support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and often criticised for authoritarian governance and human rights abuses.

Belarus’s state news agency, Belta, said the two-day visit, which began on Wednesday, is intended to “identify key areas of mutual interest and the most promising projects for implementation.”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said his visit to North Korea marks a turning point in relations, telling state news agency Belta that “the time has come to step up relations.”

“The current situation is simply pushing us into each other’s arms,” he added.
Lukashenko said the two sides plan to sign a “treaty of friendship” along with about 10 additional agreements during the visit.

The trip follows an earlier meeting between Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September in Beijing, where they attended a military parade at Tiananmen Square. Kim is reported to have extended the invitation for the visit at that time.

In a letter to Lukashenko earlier this month, Kim said he was “willing to expand and develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation … to a new, higher stage in line with the demands of the new era,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

In response, Lukashenko said Belarus was keen to deepen ties, noting that Minsk is interested in “actively expanding political and economic relations with Pyongyang at all levels.”

North Korea remains under Western sanctions, largely over its nuclear weapons programme and missile activity, as well as its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies say North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to Russia, particularly in the Kursk region, alongside supplies of artillery shells, missiles and rocket systems.

In return, analysts believe Pyongyang is receiving financial assistance, military technology, as well as food and energy supplies from Moscow—support that has helped it reduce reliance on its long-standing ally, China.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2024 visit to North Korea—the first in more than two decades—further underscored the growing ties. During the trip, he pledged support for Pyongyang against what he described as “US pressure, blackmail and military threats.”

The two countries also signed a mutual defence pact committing each to come to the other’s aid in the event of an attack.

North Korea remains under heavy international sanctions and has long faced accusations of widespread human rights abuses, including forced labour, prison camps and severe restrictions on basic freedoms.

Belarus, meanwhile, has moved closer to Moscow in recent years, notably allowing its territory to be used as a launchpad for Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

President Alexander Lukashenko has also tightened control domestically, cracking down on dissent throughout his three decades in power.

Despite this, US President Donald Trump has sought to re-engage Belarus during his second term, easing sanctions and welcoming it into his “Board of Peace.” Trump, who previously held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is also expected to revisit diplomatic engagement during a planned trip to China next month.

In recent months, Belarus has released dozens of detainees, including 250 earlier this month, in moves widely linked to US diplomatic efforts. However, hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars, many detained in the aftermath of the disputed 2020 election, which handed Lukashenko a landslide victory rejected by the opposition

-Aljazeera

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