North Korea, Belarus leaders meet in Pyongyang, sign friendship treaty

Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks in North Korea’s capital on Thursday and signed a friendship and cooperation treaty.

Lukashenko, who was in Pyongyang on a two-day official visit, hailed the document as “fundamental,” and said that relations between the two countries are “entering a new stage,” according to his press service.

“Yes, we didn’t have close cooperation, largely due to our own fault. But I am sincerely pleased to note that cooperation has now significantly intensified,” Lukashenko said.

“In today’s reality of a global transformation, when the global powers openly ignore and violate international law, independent countries need to cooperate more closely, consolidate efforts aimed at protecting their sovereignty and improving the well-being of our citizens,” he said.

Lukashenko’s press service quoted Kim expressing “solidarity and full support” for Belarus and speaking out “against unlawful pressure on Belarus from the West.”

Belarus is a close ally of Russia. Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and later authorized the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Kim has also tilted his foreign policy toward Moscow in recent years, sending thousands of troops and large quantities of weapons to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine while portraying the North as part of a united front against Washington.

Lukashenko and Kim last met in September 2025 in Beijing.

In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, right, attend an official meeting ceremony in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, center, attend an official meeting ceremony in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attend an official meeting ceremony in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko greet each other during official meeting ceremony in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A bus carrying about 50 people plunged into a major river in central Bangladesh as it was driving onto a ferry, leaving at least 18 people dead, authorities said Thursday.

The bus plunged into the Padma River on Wednesday afternoon in Rajbari district, about 84 kilometers (52 miles) from the capital, Dhaka, said fire official Dewan Sohel Rana.

The bus was traveling to the capital from the southwestern district of Kushtia as people return to work after the Islamic festival of Eid al-Fitr.

Rana said many of the passengers swam to safety after the accident but others got trapped.

A rescue vessel joined the operation late Wednesday and lifted the bus, he said, and rescuers worked overnight to recover bodies, finding 18 by Thursday morning.

Strong currents and rains disrupted the rescue operations overnight, he said.

It was not clear if there was still anyone missing.

Ten women and two children were among the dead, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defense Department.

People try to recognize their dead relatives at Rajbari Government Hospital, the day after a passenger bus plunged into the Padma river while boarding a ferry in Rajbari district, about 84 kilometers (52 miles) from the capital Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo)

Relatives of victims break down at Rajbari Government Hospital, the day after a passenger bus plunged into the Padma river while boarding a ferry in Rajbari district, about 84 kilometers (52 miles) from the capital Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo)