Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday in a sign of deepening relations between Moscow and Pyongyang as the latter gets pulled deeper into Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

Lavrov also met his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonson, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Telegram. “We exchanged views on the situation surrounding the Ukrainian crisis,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian state media agency TASS at a press conference following that meeting. “Our Korean friends confirmed their firm support for all the objectives of the special military operation, as well as for the actions of the Russian leadership and armed forces.”

Lavrov’s trip comes at a crucial time for Russian-North Korean relations, with Pyongyang set to deploy an additional 25-30,000 soldiers to assist Moscow’s scaled-up assault on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian intelligence – adding to 11,000 soldiers Pyongyang sent last year. Despite sustaining heavy battlefield losses, North Korea has become increasingly integrated into Russia’s war. An estimated 4,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in Russia, according to Western officials.

Satellite images obtained by CNN showed cargo planes and troop transport ships moving between North Korea and Russia, hinting at major military logistics underway. Facing shortages on the front line, even as its own factories work round-the-clock, Russia has become reliant on North Korea for additional weaponry.

AP adds: Russia’s foreign minister warned the US, South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited his country’s ally for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation.

The US, South Korea and Japan have been expanding or restoring their trilateral military exercises in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. On Friday, the three countries held a joint air drill involving US nuclear-capable bombers near the Korean Peninsula, as their top military officers met in Seoul and urged North Korea to cease all unlawful activities that threaten regional security.

Meanwhile, over 6 people were killed overnight into Saturday as Russia hit  Ukra­ine with hundreds of drones. Two people died and 14 were wounded when Russian forces attacked the Bukovina area of Ukraine’s Chernivtsi with 4 drones and a missile. Russia fired 597 drones and decoys, along with 26 cruise missiles. Of these, 319 drones and 25 cruise missiles were shot down, and 258 decoy drones were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.