North Korea signs friendship treaty with Belarus, KCNA says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held a summit in Pyongyang on Thursday, where the two leaders signed a friendship treaty, North Korea's state media KCNA reported. The two countries signed agreements on cooperation in various sectors, including diplomacy, agriculture, education and public health, KCNA said. At a banquet, Kim said Lukashenko's visit to Pyongyang, the first state visit by a Belarusian president since the two countries established diplomatic relations, was meaningful for upgrading bilateral relations between the two countries. Read: Ukraine signs deal with Saudi Arabia on defence cooperation, Zelenskiy says Further, Lukashenko told Kim that the bilateral relations "are developing at a very fast pace" and the leadership of the two countries shared the same views on international affairs, KCNA said. The summit brought together two leaders, both under international sanctions, who have provided crucial backing for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia's four-year war with Ukraine. North Korea sent some 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine in 2024, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources. Lukashenko allowed Belarus to be used as a launchpad for Russia's February 2022 invasion and subsequently agreed to host Russian tactical nuclear missiles on its territory, which borders three members of the NATO alliance.