Lukashenko’s First North Korea Visit Ends With “Friendship” Deal With Kim Jong Un

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko visited North Korea for the first time and signed a bilateral agreement on “friendship and cooperation” with Kim Jong Un during talks in Pyongyang on March 25.

According to the press service of the Belarusian leader on March 26, the agreement was finalized during Lukashenko’s official visit, which marks his first trip to North Korea in more than three decades in power. The document was described as a framework for future relations.

Kim Jong Un said the agreement would serve as a “legal foundation” to ensure the “stable development of bilateral relations.” Lukashenko, in turn, stated that ties between Minsk and Pyongyang are entering “a fundamentally new stage.”

“Friendly relations between our states, which originated during the Soviet era, have never been interrupted. Today, as a result of comprehensive progressive development, we are moving to a fundamentally new stage. With a great delay, but still moving to a new stage,” Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko also emphasized that the economies of Belarus and North Korea “complement each other,” while both countries support a “multipolar world” based on non-interference and equality between states.

Kim stated that the two countries share similar positions on “many issues” on the international agenda and expressed “solidarity and full support” for Belarus, including its efforts to pursue what he described as an independent policy.

Details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

The visit included a formal reception ceremony in Pyongyang, featuring a 21-gun salute, military honors, and public appearances with North Korean citizens. Lukashenko also visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are buried, according to North Korean state media KCNA.

This was Lukashenko’s first official visit to North Korea, although he previously met Kim Jong Un in September 2025 in China.

The visit comes amid broader diplomatic developments involving Minsk and Washington. According to the Financial Times on March 23, the US is considering a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Alexander Lukashenko as part of ongoing engagement following a series of prisoner releases.

The report notes that talks have been underway for months, with the US easing some sanctions in exchange for the release of more than 500 political prisoners, while also seeking to establish direct communication with the Belarusian leader.

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