Russian FM Lavrov to visit North Korea this weekend

MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit North Korea this weekend, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by top Moscow officials as the two countries deepen military ties.

Lavrov "will visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on July 11-13" for the "second round of strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers," Russian ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow Wednesday.

Pyongyang has become one of Moscow's main allies during its more than three-year-long invasion of Ukraine, sending thousands of troops and container loads of weapons to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from Russia's western Kursk region.

Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said.

Russia's security chief Sergei Shoigu has visited Pyongyang multiple times this year, including last month, when the two countries marked the one year anniversary of the signing of a sweeping military pact.

Meanwhile, Russia fired its largest missile and drone attack on Ukraine in more than three years of war, Kiev said Wednesday after strikes that mainly targeted areas furthest from the front line.

The Ukrainian air force said that Russia had attacked with 728 drones and 13 missiles, adding that its air defence systems intercepted 711 drones and that at least seven missiles were destroyed.

The attack comes just after U.S. Donald Trump said he would increase weapons deliveries to Ukraine — reversing an earlier U.S. policy announcement — and accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of talking "bullshit" on Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Wednesday it was "unfazed” by Trump’s “bullshit” comment.

"We are fairly calm about it. First of all, let's just say that Trump in general has quite a harsh rhetorical style in terms of the phrases he uses," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Trump's comments.