Lukashenko Visits North Korea, Strengthening Ties Among Putin Allies

Lukashenko flew in to a red-carpet welcome in Pyongyang, where he was greeted by Kim's foreign minister and dozens of small children waving the flags of both countries. Later in the day, Kim himself received Lukashenko during a pomp-filled ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square, according to the Belarusian president's press service.

The Belarusian government aircraft landed in Pyongyang on Wednesday afternoon, marking the start of Lukashenko's first state visit to North Korea. Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said the countries will sign a friendship and cooperation treaty during the visit. The Belarusian state news agency BelTA said the two leaders are set to "expand and develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation," while Minsk affirmed it has "an interest in actively expanding political and economic ties with Pyongyang at all levels."

According to BelTA, bilateral ties between North Korea and Belarus are on the agenda of the two leaders' talks. Lukashenko last met Kim in September 2025 in Beijing and was invited to visit North Korea at that time. Specifically, Kim and Lukashenko met in September in Beijing when they attended a military parade at Tiananmen Square, where the North Korean leader reportedly extended an invitation.

The geopolitical undertones of the summit are hard to miss. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over three decades with an iron fist, is a close ally of the Kremlin; he allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and later authorized the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Kim has also prioritized Russia in recent years, sending thousands of troops and large quantities of weapons to support Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, while pursuing a more assertive foreign policy aimed at expanding ties with countries that oppose Washington.

North Korea and Belarus have both withstood years of external economic pressure: the former is under U.N. sanctions because of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and the latter is subject to Western sanctions over its human rights record and backing for Putin in Ukraine. The summit also carries broader symbolic weight. Just days before Lukashenko arrived, Kim accused the United States of global "state terrorism and aggression" in a speech at North Korea's parliament, calling for Pyongyang to play a stronger role in a united front against Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in 2024 for the first time in 24 years and promised to support Pyongyang against what he called "U.S. pressure, blackmail and military threats." During that trip, North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defence agreement obligating both countries to provide military assistance if the other was attacked. Lukashenko's arrival now extends that arc of Russia-aligned summitry into 2026.

Valery Tsepkalo, a prominent exiled opponent of Lukashenko, dismissed the summit as theater, saying "There will be no benefit to Belarus from this visit. The same for North Korea. They are just demonstrating that they're not isolated and they can have a meeting. They don't have any normal trade," he told Reuters.

The trip to Pyongyang comes just six days after Lukashenko met Trump's envoy John Coale and announced the freeing of 250 more detainees; the U.S. side has said Lukashenko may soon visit the White House. The simultaneous courtship of Washington and Pyongyang captures the unusual diplomatic balancing act Lukashenko is attempting, even as the alliance he is cementing in North Korea pulls in precisely the opposite direction.