Putin, Kim sign ‘strongest ever treaty’ as North Korea pledges support for Russia’s Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Wednesday a mutual defence agreement with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, who offered his “full support” on Ukraine, with Kim calling the new ties an “alliance”.

The new treaty provides for “mutual assistance” in case either country faces aggression, Putin said, in an apparent warning to the West.

The pledge of military cooperation was part of a strategic treaty signed during a summit in Pyongyang, where Putin was making his visit in 24 years.

“It is really a breakthrough document,” Putin said at a press conference in the North Korean capital, adding that it provided, “among other things, for mutual assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties to this treaty,” Russian news agencies reported.

Kim called the deal the “strongest ever treaty” signed between the countries and brings their relations to the level of an alliance, and would facilitate cooperation in various areas including politics, economy, culture and military.

Russia and North Korea also signed agreements on cooperation in the fields of healthcare, medical education, and science, Russian state media reported, citing the Kremlin’s website.

The two countries have been allies since North Korea’s founding after World War II, and have drawn even closer after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 isolated Putin on the global stage.

Putin also said Russia “does not rule out military-technical cooperation with the DPRK in connection with the treaty that was signed today,” referring to the North by its official name.

Kim called Putin the “dearest friend of the Korean people” and said his country “expresses full support and solidarity to the Russian government” over the war in Ukraine, which has triggered rafts of UN sanctions