Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pact in Pyongyang, the Interfax news agency in Moscow reported on Wednesday.
The treaty included a clause covering mutual assistance in case of aggression against either country, Russian media said, underlining their increasingly close military cooperation.
Putin and Kim held one-on-one talks that lasted about two hours during the Russian leader’s first visit to the Asian country in 24 years.
Putin was quoted by the Tass news agency as saying that Russia “does not rule out developing military and technical cooperation” with North Korea in accordance with the new pact.
Kim told a joint press conference that bilateral relations have reached “a new high level of alliance” while describing the pact as “purely peaceful and defensive”, according to Russian media reports.
Putin also said the UN sanctions regime against North Korea over its missile and nuclear development programmes should be revised, Russian media said.
“We will continue to oppose the practice of sanctions strangulation as a tool that the West is accustomed to using to maintain its hegemony in politics, economy and other spheres,” Putin was quoted by Tass as saying.
In earlier remarks, Kim vowed North Korea’s “full support and solidarity” with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, hailing it as “protecting sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity” while praising Moscow’s role in “preserving global strategic stability and balance”, Tass said.
Putin expressed appreciation for North Korea’s support of Russian policies, including those pertaining to Moscow’s war against Ukraine, saying, “We highly appreciate your consistent and unwavering support of the Russian policy course, including on Ukrainian issues,” Tass added.
The two countries have been deepening ties in military and other areas since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, with Pyongyang accused of providing arms to Moscow to aid its aggression.
The North Korean leader pledged to strengthen strategic cooperation with Moscow, adding he sees bilateral relations as entering a “period of new prosperity”, according to the news agency.
Putin noted Russia has been fighting against “decades of hegemony and imperialist policies” imposed by the United States and its allies. He also said the envisioned treaty will “serve as a basis for our relations in the long term,” Tass said.
The Russian leader expressed hope that his next meeting with Kim will be held in Moscow, the news agency said.
Before the summit meeting, an official welcoming ceremony for Putin was held at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. Earlier in the day, Kim welcomed the Russian president at a Pyongyang airport, where they shook hands and hugged.
The North Korean leader personally guided his Russian counterpart to his accommodation while they had a friendly chat, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Putin gave Kim a Russian-built Aurus limousine, a tea set and an admiral’s dirk, Tass reported, citing Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Putin in turn was given various works of art, Ushakov was quoted as saying.
In September last year, Putin met Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch centre in the Russian Far East. At the time, Kim invited Putin to visit his country, according to KCNA. Moscow is suspected of assisting and guiding North Korea in its bid to launch military spy satellites.
Western countries, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, have expressed concerns about Putin’s visit to North Korea, which is seen as further deepening Moscow-Pyongyang ties.
Putin was scheduled to depart Pyongyang late Wednesday for Vietnam, where he is making a highly anticipated official visit.