Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have signed a “strategic partnership treaty” following their talks in Pyongyang, as reported by Russian state media.
Earlier on Wednesday, Putin indicated that a document had been prepared to “form the basis” of their future relations, though he did not elaborate on the details.
“Russia and North Korea have signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty,” the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a correspondent.
According to the Kremlin, this treaty will replace earlier bilateral agreements and declarations from 1961, 2000, and 2001.
Kim stated that relations with Russia had reached a new high and that Putin’s visit would further strengthen their “ardent friendship.”
Growing Exchanges
Putin also remarked that Russia and North Korea will develop trade and payment systems “that are not controlled by the West.”
The growing ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have raised concerns in the West, which suspects Russia of using North Korean weaponry in its military operations in Ukraine.
Since Kim’s visit to the Russian Far East in September for his first meeting with Putin since 2019, military, economic, and other exchanges between the two countries have sharply increased.
North Korea is under heavy UN Security Council economic sanctions due to its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia faces sanctions from the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.
US and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of providing Russia with artillery, missiles, and other military equipment to support its war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for key military technologies and aid.
Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied accusations of North Korean weapons transfers, which would violate multiple UN Security Council sanctions that Russia previously supported.
