Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today thanked North Korea for its “unreserved” support to Moscow in its “special military operation” in Ukraine. reported the Russian news agency RIA Novosti today, the first day of the official visit of the head of Russian diplomacy to Pyongyang.

Lavrov thanked North Korea for recognizing the annexation of the four occupied in part, Ukrainian provinces. North Korea is the only country in the world that has recognized these territories as Russian.

Lavrov also said the visit is an opportunity to “determine practical measures to ensure full implementation of the agreements” decided at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. A Kremlin spokesman also said that Lavrov’s two-day visit will also focus on preparations for Putin’s trip to North Korea.

The West expresses fears that Pyongyang is arming Russia for the war in Ukraine. Last Friday the US said deliveries of military hardware and ammunition had already taken place. In return, North Korea will receive from Russia “advanced military technology” and materials to build ballistic missiles, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

According to Washington, more than 1,000 containers of weapons and ammunition sent by sea from Najin, North Korea to Dunai, Russia, between September 1-October 1. They were then taken by train to an ammunition depot located 290 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin responded that these are unproven accusations. British and American intelligence agencies “never present evidence,” Dmitry Peskov said.