North Korean leader reaffirms support for Russia's war in Ukraine in talks with top official

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed his unwavering support for Russia’s war in Ukraine during a meeting with a top Russian security official in Pyongyang, North Korean state media said Saturday.

Friday’s meeting between Kim and Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s Security Council secretary, followed a South Korean intelligence assessment in late February that North Korea had likely sent additional troops to Russia after its forces suffered heavy casualties fighting in the Russian-Ukraine war. Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the two countries’ leaders, though it remains to be seen when it might take effect and what targets would be off-limits.

North Korean and Russian state media said Kim and Shoigu discussed various issues, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, Moscow’s dialogues with the Trump administration and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. They reaffirmed the willingness of the two countries’ leaders to “unconditionally” uphold a major mutual defense treaty reached at a summit last year in Pyongyang, which pledges mutual assistance if either country faces aggression, according to the reports.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim during the meeting said his government will “invariably support Russia in the struggle for defending the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests.”

Shoigu conveyed a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who extended his greetings to Kim and vowed to give “utmost attention” to implementing agreements reached in their recent summits. He expressed gratitude for North Korea’s “solidarity with Russia’s position on all critical geopolitical issues, particularly on the Ukrainian issue,” according to his televised comments.

North Korean and Russia media didn’t say whether any new agreements were reached before Shoigu departed Pyongyang later on Friday.

North Korea has been supplying a vast amount of conventional weapons to Russia, and last fall it sent about 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia as well, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials. In its Feb. 27 statement, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said it was trying to determine exactly how many more troops North Korea has deployed to Russia. South Korean media put the number of newly deployed North Korean soldiers at about 1,000 to 3,000.

South Korea, the U.S. and others suspect North Korea is receiving economic and military assistance from Russia in return for providing weapons and troops. Many experts say North Korea will likely ramp up its support of Russia to win as many benefits as possible from Russia before the war ends.

Shoigu’s trip could be related to preparations for Kim to visit Russia, some observers say. Putin invited Kim to visit Moscow when he visited Pyongyang last year for the summit.

In 2023, when Shoigu, then a defense minister, traveled to North Korea, Kim gave him a personal tour of a North Korean arms exhibition in what outside critics likened to a sales pitch. In September 2024, Shoigu, then in the new security council post, went to North Korea again for a meeting with Kim, and the two discussed expanding cooperation, according to North Korea’s state media.

Earlier Friday, KCNA said Kim oversaw the test-launches of new anti-aircraft missiles the previous day. It cited Kim as calling the missiles “another major defense weapons system” for North Korea.

The missile launches, North Korea’s sixth weapons testing activity this year, occurred on the same day that the U.S. and South Korean militaries concluded their annual training that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. The 11-day Freedom Shield exercise was the allies’ first major joint military training since Trump's inauguration in January.

North Korea often responds to major U.S.-South Korean military drills with its own weapons tests and fiery rhetoric. Hours after this year’s Freedom Shield training began on March 10, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea.

In this this photo provided by the North Korean government, Russia's Security Council Secretary, Sergey Shoigu, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea Friday, March 21, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this this photo provided by the North Korean government, Russia's Security Council Secretary, Sergey Shoigu, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hold a talk in Pyongyang, North Korea Friday, March 21, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this this photo provided by the North Korean government, Russia's Security Council Secretary, Sergey Shoigu, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk togethers during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea Friday, March 21, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows Russia's Security Council secretary, Sergey Shoigu, right, who arrived at Pyongyang Airport being greeted by Party Secretary Park Chung-cheon on Friday, March 21, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows Russia's Security Council secretary, Sergey Shoigu, center left, who arrived at Pyongyang Airport being received by Party Secretary Park Chung-cheon, center right on Friday, March 21, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its military test-launches a new anti-aircraft missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea, Thursday, March 20, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its military test-launches a new anti-aircraft missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea, Thursday, March 20, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

U.S. Army soldiers participate in a joint river-crossing exercise between South Korea and the United States as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A South Korean army K1E1 tank crosses a floating bridge on the Imjin River during a joint river-crossing exercise between South Korea and the United States as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

U.S. and South Korean army soldiers participate in a joint river-crossing exercise between South Korea and the United States as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise on the Imjin River in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

U.S. Army soldiers participate in a joint river-crossing exercise between South Korea and the United States as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A South Korean army K1E1 tank crosses a floating bridge on the Imjin River during a joint river-crossing exercise between South Korea and the United States as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

LONDON (AP) — London Heathrow Airport said it was “fully operational” on Saturday, after an almost daylong closure sparked by an electrical substation fire. But thousands of passengers remained stuck, and airlines warned that severe disruption will last for days as they scramble to relocate planes and crews and get travelers to their destinations.

Friday's travel mayhem raised concerns about Britain's ability to withstand disasters or attacks on critical infrastructure. Inconvenienced passengers, angry airlines and concerned politicians all want answers about how one seemingly accidental fire could shut down Europe’s busiest air hub.

“This is a huge embarrassment for Heathrow airport. It’s a huge embarrassment for the country that a fire in one electricity substation can have such a devastating effect," said Toby Harris, a Labour Party politician who heads the National Preparedness Commission, a group that campaigns to improve resilience.

Heathrow said it had “hundreds of additional colleagues on hand in our terminals and we have added flights to today’s schedule to facilitate an extra 10,000 passengers." It advised passengers to check with their airline before going to the airport.

British Airways, Heathrow’s biggest airline, said it expected to operate about 85% of its 600 scheduled flights at the airport on Saturday. It said that "to recover an operation of our size after such a significant incident is extremely complex.”

While many passengers managed to resume stalled journeys, others remained in limbo.

Laura Fritschie from Kansas City was on vacation with her family in Ireland when she learned that her father had died. On Saturday she was stranded at Heathrow after her BA flight to Chicago was canceled at the last minute.

“I’m very frustrated," she said. “This was my first big vacation with my kids since my husband died, and ... now this. So I just want to go home.”

More than 1,300 flights were canceled and some 200,000 people stranded Friday after an overnight fire at a substation 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the airport cut power to Heathrow, and to more than 60,000 properties.

Residents in west London described hearing a large explosion and then seeing a fireball and clouds of smoke when the blaze ripped through the substation. The fire was brought under control after seven hours, but the airport was shut for almost 18. A handful of flights took off and landed late Friday.

Police said they do not consider the fire suspicious, and the London Fire Brigade said its investigation would focus on the electrical distribution equipment at the substation.

Still, the huge impact of the fire left authorities facing questions about Britain’s creaking infrastructure. The government acknowledged that authorities had questions to answer and said a rigorous investigation was needed to make sure “this scale of disruption does not happen again.”

Harris, from the preparedness commission, said the airport shutdown points to a broader problem with Britain’s economy and infrastructure.

“The last 40, 50 years we’ve tried to make services more efficient,” he said. “We’ve stripped out redundancy, we’ve simplified processes. We’ve moved towards a sort of ‘just in time’ economy.

“There is an element where you have to make sure you’re available for ‘just in case.’ You have to plan for things going wrong.”

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said he was “proud” of the way airport and airline staff had responded.

"Remember, the situation was not created at Heathrow Airport," he told the BBC. “The airport didn’t shut for days. We shut for hours."

He said Heathrow's backup power supply, designed for emergencies, worked as expected, but it wasn’t enough to run the whole airport, which uses as much energy as a small city.

“That’s how most airports operate," said Woldbye, who insisted “the same would happen in other airports" faced with a similar blaze.

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports for international travel, and saw 83.9 million passengers last year.

Friday’s disruption was one of the most serious since the 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which shut Europe’s airspace for days.

Passengers on about 120 flights were in the air when Friday's closure was announced and found themselves landing in different cities, and even different countries.

Mark Doherty and his wife were halfway across the Atlantic when the inflight map showed their flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Heathrow was turning around.

“I was like, you’re joking,” Doherty said before the pilot told passengers they were heading back to New York.

Doherty called the situation “typical England — got no back-up plan for something happens like this. There’s no contingency plan.”

Associated Press journalist Kwiyeon Ha at Heathrow Airport contributed to this report.

A British Airways plane approaches landing as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Travellers wait outside the Terminal as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Travellers check the information board in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025, as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The airport arrivals board at Terminal 5 as Britain's Heathrow Airport has closed for the full day Friday after an electrical substation fire knocked out its power, disrupting flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers at one of Europe's biggest travel hubs in London, Friday, March 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A British Airways plane is parked at Terminal 5 as Britain's Heathrow Airport has closed for the full day Friday after an electrical substation fire knocked out its power, disrupting flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers at one of Europe's biggest travel hubs in London, Friday, March 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Workers are seen as smoke rises from the North Hyde electrical substation, which caught fire last night, leading to the closure of the Heathrow Airport, in London, Friday March 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

A handwritten sign at a Heathrow Airport tube station in London indicates the airport is closed on Friday March 21, 2025, following a fire at the North Hyde electrical substation the previous night.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

A plane is prepared whilst another airplane approaches landing at Heathrow Airport after a fire at an electrical substation shuttered Europe's busiest air travel hub in London, Friday, March 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

A traveller arrives at Terminal 5 as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Travellers wait at Terminal 5 as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Travellers arrive at Terminal 5 as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Travellers arrive at Terminal 5 as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Travellers arrives at Terminal 5 as Heathrow Airport slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe's busiest airport in London, Saturday, March 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)