North Korea's top diplomat has expressed strong support for her Russian counterpart in Moscow. Choe Son Hui vowed that the North will stand alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine "until the day of victory."

Choe met for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday.

She said, "Our comrade and chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Kim Jong Un, issued direction from the very beginning of the special military operation against Ukraine that we should consistently and strongly declare our support for the just fight of Russia's military and people to defend their country's sovereign rights and security interests."

The two sides are believed to have discussed deepening ties under the terms of a treaty signed in June. That agreement includes mutual military assistance.

Lavrov said: "Very close contacts have been established between the military of our two countries and along the lines of security services. This also allows us to practically solve significant and important tasks for the security of our citizens and yours."

The US has warned that North Korean troops deployed in Russia could enter the battlefield in the coming days. It has called on China to use its influence to prevent an escalation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian talked about the issue in a news conference on Friday. He said, "The DPRK and Russia are two independent sovereign states, and how to develop bilateral relations is a matter for themselves."

Lin also said China is not aware of the specifics of exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.