Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. The pact, inked during a summit in Pyongyang, includes a mutual defence clause, committing both nations to assist each other in repelling external aggression.
The strategic partnership pact establishes a mutual defence commitment. If either country faces an armed attack, the other pledges military support.
Kim Jong-un expressed “full support” for Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine. This move aligns North Korea with Moscow’s policies regarding the conflict.
Putin’s visit to North Korea marks his first in 24 years. After conveying gratitude for Pyongyang’s support, Putin vowed to deepen trade to evade the West’s economic blackmail and also for security ties with the reclusive nuclear-armed nation and support it against the United States.
The treaty aims to bolster cooperation across various sectors, including the military domain.
North Korea and the former Soviet Union previously signed a friendship and mutual assistance treaty in 1961, which included provisions for automatic military intervention. However, a 2000 bilateral treaty focused on economic, scientific, and cultural cooperation and did not contain such military provisions.
Experts speculate that Russia may assist North Korea’s space development program in exchange for arms supplies. However, sensitive weapons technology transfer is unlikely to happen.
During his visit to Pyongyang, Putin presented Kim Jong Un with a Russian-built Aurus limousine, a tea set, and an admiral’s dirk. In return, Putin received various works of art depicting himself.
