Putin with Lukashenko in Sochi, a possible alliance with North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin met today with his ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who hinted that Minsk could join Moscow's efforts to revive the old alliance with Pyongyang after this week's meeting between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Lukashenko made the proposal during a meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Russian president said he would brief him on Wednesday's talks with Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East.

"I would like to inform you about the conversation about the situation in the region, which was quite significant, and also to touch on the most pressing issue, the situation in Ukraine," Putin said at the beginning of the meeting with Lukashenko.

Lukashenko responded by saying they could "think about trilateral cooperation," and said he believed there could be "something for Belarus to do there."

Kim Jong Un continued his visit to Russia today with a tour of an aircraft factory in the Amur region to see the latest Russian combat aircraft. It is scheduled to arrive in the Russian port of Vladivostok tomorrow to visit the Russian Pacific Fleet and the University.

The US and its allies believe Kim is likely to send weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine in exchange for receiving advanced weapons or technology from Moscow, which would violate UN sanctions against Pyongyang that prohibit arms trade with North Korea.

Putin's meeting with Lukashenko is their seventh this year. Lukashenko, who has relied on Russian subsidies and political support to rule Belarus with a firm hand for nearly three decades, allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops to Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin said after his meeting with Kim that Russia would respect UN sanctions, and he repeated that today.

"We never violate anything, and in this case we have no intention of violating anything. But we will certainly look for opportunities for the development of Russian-North Korean relations," Putin told reporters.

Although Belarus continues to receive Russian troops, Lukashenko stressed that his country will not get involved in the fighting in Ukraine.