The leaders of North Korea (Kim Jong Un) and Russia`s(Vladimar Putin) signed an agreement on Wednesday that deepens their military cooperation to include a mutual defence pledge to help each other if attacked, with the North’s Kim Jong Un calling the new ties an “alliance”.
“The comprehensive partnership agreement signed yesterday provides, among other things, for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement,” said Putin, who was making his first visit to North Korea in 24 years.
Kim spoke at a rare press conference following his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang, announcing the signing of a “comprehensive strategic partnership” that the Russian leader said included defensive elements.
The reaction from China, the North’s main political and economic benefactor and an increasingly important ally for Moscow, has been muted.
Kim said the pact would expand cooperation in the areas of politics, economy and defence, calling it “strictly peace-loving and defensive” in nature.
“Our two countries’ relations have been elevated to the new higher level of an alliance,” Kim said.
At the start of their summit, Kim expressed “unconditional support” for “all of Russia’s policies”, including “a full support and firm alliance” for Putin’s war with Ukraine.
Putin said Moscow was fighting the hegemonic, imperialist policy of the United States and its allies, Russian media reported.
“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 start of the talks.
Russia was hit with US-led Western sanctions after Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022 in what Moscow called a “special military operation”.
Mr Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang since 2000 was a chance for Russia and North Korea to flaunt their friendship. And flaunt it they did, with Mr Kim declaring his “full support” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Seoul, Tokyo, Washington and Brussels will see great peril in those words and in the stage-managed meeting. But the fact is the two leaders feel they need each other – Mr Putin badly requires ammunition to keep the war going and North Korea needs money.
However, the real power in the region was not in Pyongyang – and nor did it want to be. Mr Putin and Mr Kim were bonding on China’s doorstep and so would have been wary of provoking Beijing, a vital source of both trade and clout for these two sanctioned regimes.
And even as Mr Putin hails his “firm friendship” with Mr Kim, he must know it has a limit. And that limit is Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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”, he said.
Putin arrived at Pyongyang’s airport earlier in the day. After Kim welcomed him with an embrace, the two shared “pent-up inmost thoughts” on the ride to the state guest house, North Korean state media said.
The countries’ partnership was an “engine for accelerating the building of a new multi-polar world” and Putin’s visit demonstrated the invincibility and durability of their friendship and unity, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said.
Russia has used its warming ties with North Korea to needle Washington, while heavily sanctioned North Korea has won political backing and promises of economic support and trade from Moscow.
The United States and its allies say they fear Russia could provide aid for North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions, and have accused Pyongyang of providing ballistic missiles and artillery shells that Russia has used in its war in Ukraine.