North Korea and Russia have signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pact, cementing what North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un called a powerful “alliance” that includes a pledge of mutual defense should either country come under attack.
“The comprehensive partnership agreement signed today provides, among other things, for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kim welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The two leaders met on the runway at the capital’s airport before sharing a limousine ride to the city center with a large police escort.
As described by North Korean state media outlet KCNA in English, the two leaders were able to share their “pent-up innermost thoughts” during this conversation and agreed to deepen relations.
In the first comments to emerge from the trip, Russian news agencies cited Kim as saying that Pyongyang intended to improve strategic cooperation with Moscow.
“The situation in the world is becoming more complicated and changing rapidly,” Russia’s TASS state news agency cited Kim as saying. “In this situation, we intend to further strengthen strategic contacts with Russia, with the Russian leadership.”
“North Korea expresses full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army, and people in carrying out a special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests, as well as territorial integrity,” Kim was quoted as saying.
Putin expressed his thanks for Pyongyang’s support of the Kremlin’s policies in Ukraine.
“We highly appreciate your consistent and unwavering support for Russian policy, including in the Ukrainian direction,” Russian state news agency RIA quoted Putin as saying at the beginning of talks with Kim.
