March 25 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang on Wednesday with a white-horse cavalry and 21-gun salute, cementing ties between two close allies of Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Kim has provided Moscow with millions of rounds of ammunition for its war in Ukraine and sent troops to help Russia expel Ukrainian forces who invaded its western Kursk region.
Lukashenko allowed Belarus to be used as a launchpad for Russia's invasion in February 2022, and subsequently agreed to host Russian tactical nuclear missiles on its territory, which borders three NATO alliance countries.
Kim greeted Lukashenko with an embrace and laid on a lavish welcome ceremony with ranks of soldiers, cavalry and the gun salute after flag-waving children had cheered his arrival at the airport.
Lukashenko's foreign minister, Maxim Ryzhenkov, told Belarusian state media that the two sides would sign a friendship and cooperation treaty during the two-day visit.
Current trade was "modest" but there was potential to boost it in sectors including food and pharmaceuticals, he said.
Valery Tsepkalo, a prominent exiled opponent of Lukashenko, said there was no substance to the summit beyond a display of solidarity. "There will be no benefit to Belarus from this visit. The same for North Korea. They are just demonstrating that they're not isolated and they can have a meeting. They don't have any normal trade," he told Reuters.
DESPITE SANCTIONS, TRUMP HAS CULTIVATED BOTH LEADERS
North Korea and Belarus have withstood years of external economic pressure: the former is under U.N. sanctions because of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and the latter is subject to Western sanctions over its human rights record and backing for Putin in Ukraine.
"The current situation is simply pushing us into each other's arms. We're looking for friends. Friends may be far away, but they are very loyal, reliable, and respectful," Belarusian minister Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying.
Despite the isolation of both countries, U.S. President Donald Trump has engaged with their leaders.
Trump met Kim three times in 2018 and 2019, during his first term in the White House, but their encounters failed to yield substantive results. Trump said last year he would "love another meeting", which Kim said could happen if the U.S. dropped its "absurd obsession" with getting North Korea to give up nuclear weapons.
Trump last year re-established direct contact with Lukashenko, who had been treated as a pariah by his predecessor Joe Biden. In recent months, the U.S. has begun to ease sanctions on Belarus in return for releases of political prisoners.
Lukashenko's trip to North Korea comes six days after he met Trump's envoy John Coale and announced the freeing of 250 more detainees. The U.S. side has said Lukashenko may soon visit the White House.
(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
