North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has the “complete support” of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Also thanking North Korea for its support in Ukraine, Mr Lavrov is on an official trip to the country.

As a result of his trip, President Vladimir Putin is likely to visit the country in the near future.

Earlier this week, the US reported that North Korea was sending large shipments of arms to Russia for use in the Ukraine.

Lavrov’s two-day visit follows Mr Kim’s days-long visit to Russia in September, his first trip abroad since the pandemic, where he met Mr Putin to discuss “possibilities” for military cooperation.

The Russian defence minister also visited North Korea earlier in July and saw the country’s latest weapons, including the Hwasong intercontinental ballistic missile.

As he spoke at an official reception on Wednesday, Mr Lavrov pledged Moscow’s “complete support” for Mr Kim and accused the US and its allies of unleashing a “war against the Russian Federation”.

Additionally, he said he was there to discuss implementing the arrangements made when Mr Putin and Mr Kim met last month.

As with his last visit to Pyongyang in 2018, it is unclear if Mr Lavrov will meet Mr Kim during his current trip.

Moscow has been buying weapons from Pyongyang for its war against Ukraine, according to Washington, and any help from Pyongyang would violate United Nations resolutions.

According to the US, ammunition and artillery transfers have already begun according to intelligence and evidence released on Friday.

As North Korean arms are compatible with Russian weapons, Moscow would be interested in them.

Since North Korea’s conflict with the South is unresolved, it has accumulated a large stockpile of weapons. Technically, the two countries are still at war.