Video: Belarusian President gifts North Korean gun during Pyongyang visit
Abdullateef Fowewe
Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko has presented North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a rifle during his first-ever visit to Pyongyang on March 25, quipping it was “in case enemies show up.”
The gesture highlighted deepening military ties between the two Russia-aligned nations, both under heavy Western sanctions.
Lukashenko received a lavish welcome, complete with a cavalry escort and 21-gun salute, underscoring the symbolic strengthening of their alliance amid global isolation.
The rifle exchange echoes Kim’s own 2026 move to distribute sniper rifles to officials following a key party congress, signaling shared emphasis on armed readiness.
The visit, Lukashenko’s maiden trip to North Korea, comes as both leaders navigate pressures from Ukraine-related sanctions and U.S. restrictions.
North Korean diplomacy remains notoriously opaque, making high-profile encounters like this exceptionally uncommon.
