Russia has gifted North Korea zoo animals after being given thousands of troops to fight in its ongoing war with Ukraine.
The animals were escorted by officials and experts from the Moscow Zoo on a government plane to Pyongyang, according to a statement from the Russian government issued Wednesday.
An African lion, two bears, two domestic yaks, 25 pheasants, 40 mandarin ducks and five white cockatoos were sent to North Korea, according to the statement.
'Sign of Support'
Russia's Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, who traveled with the animals, said on television, "Historically, animals always have played a special role in relations between states. They have been given as a sign of support, kindness and care."
Russia and North Korea Ties
When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in June, he and Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Un signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty," which states that the two countries must immediately provide military assistance using "all means" if either is attacked.
It was the strongest link between Russia and North Korea since the end of the Cold War.
North Korean Troops Sent To Russia
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia—according to U.S, South Korean and Ukrainian assessments—amid its ongoing war with Ukraine, which began when Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Meanwhile, North Korea has also sent Russia significant amounts of munitions, according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials.
South Korea's spy agency said in October that North Korea provided 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and other conventional arms to Russia since August 2023.
Pyongyang has previously denied sending weaponry to Russia, and a North Korean representative to the United Nations said last month that reports the East Asian country is sending soldiers to Russia were "groundless rumors."
Joe Biden Meets With South Korean and Japanese Leaders
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru.
In remarks from the meeting, Biden mentioned a historic 2023 Camp David summit between Biden, Yoon and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who Ishiba succeeded in October, saying "it inaugurated a whole new era of cooperation" between the three countries.
"I'm proud of how far we've come since that historic meeting, promoting development in Southeast Asia and in the Pacific Islands, linking arms to secure the technologies of the future, and countering North Korea's dangerous and destabilizing cooperation with Russia," Biden said.
Yoon mentioned the Pyongyang troops sent to Russia in the trilateral meeting, saying, "As we can see from the recent deployment of DPRK troops to Russia, the challenging security environment within and outside the region once again reminds us the importance of our trilateral cooperation."
"I look forward to furthering our partnership in response against North Korea and in many other areas," Ishiba said in the meeting.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
English (US) ·