Russia, North Korea ink strategic partnership pact

Cheering crowds and lavish ceremonies greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang on Wednesday, where he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement upgrading their countries’ ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”.

According to Reuters, Kim expressed “unconditional support” for “all of Russia’s policies”, including “a full support and firm alliance” for Putin’s war with Ukraine at a summit with the Russian leader who was making his first visit to the North in 24 years.

“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.

Putin said Moscow was fighting the hegemonic, imperialist policy of the United States and its allies.

Kim said North Korea-Russia relations were entering a period of “new high prosperity”.

Following a summit with top aides and then one-on-one talks that lasted two hours, Putin and Kim signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pact, Russian media reported. Putin’s foreign policy aide has said the pact would be the basis for a broader cooperation between the two countries.

"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," Putin was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS.

Earlier, Kim said the increasingly complicated security environment around the world called for a stronger strategic dialogue with Russia.

“And I want to reaffirm that we will unconditionally and unwaveringly support all of Russia’s policies,” Kim told Putin.

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.

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.