One of Russia’s most powerful men, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is set to visit North Korea this weekend, in a sign of deepening relations between Moscow and Pyongyang as North Korea gets pulled deeper into Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit North Korea this week, Pyongyang’s state media reported, less than a month after leader Kim Jong Un agreed to send thousands of military workers to help Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to visit North Korea over the weekend as Russia’s relationship with the United States sours. Russian Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday that Lavrov would be traveling to the country for a “second round of strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers.