Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday after he denounced the "dangerous" US policy toward Pyongyang.
Lavrov praised North Korea as a "close neighbor and historical partner" of Russia during the meeting, which lasted just over an hour, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
Media reports quoted Lavrov as telling North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui that "after this historic summit... We can confidently say that relations have reached a qualitatively new and strategic level."
Russian media have reported that Moscow is seeking to help North Korea with its energy needs, which are behind many difficulties facing sanctions-hit Pyongyang.
"There is geological exploration and there are also plans to supply energy resources and other products needed by our friends from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Lavrov said.
He added that these energy issues will be discussed at a joint meeting scheduled for November.
Russia's RIA Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying, "We greatly appreciate your principled and clear support for what Russia is doing with regard to the special military operation in Ukraine."
Putin received Kim Jong Un last month (Reuters)
Common concerns
Earlier in the day, Lavrov denounced what he called the "dangerous" US policy toward North Korea. "Like our North Korean friends, we are deeply concerned about the intensification of military activities of the United States, Japan and South Korea in the region and about Washington's policies," he told reporters, as quoted by Russian news agencies.
"We oppose this dangerous and unconstructive approach," he said, adding that the United States was deploying "strategic infrastructure including nuclear elements" in the region, without providing further details.
Lavrov, who laid wreaths at monuments to former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday night in the morning after accompanying Putin on a visit to Beijing.
The veteran diplomat's visit to Pyongyang is expected to pave the way for a planned visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea at the invitation of Kim during their summit in September in Russia's Far East.
Kim flew to Russia last month on a special bulletproof train for a face-to-face meeting with Putin, declaring that bilateral relations with Moscow were a "priority" for his country.
The summit raised Western concerns that Pyongyang could supply Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine.