North Korea and Russia signed a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement” this Wednesday that includes a mutual defense clause, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The document signed between both leaders contemplates “assistance in the event that one of the two countries is attacked,” Putin said in statements collected by the Russian Tass agency.
Putin has thanked Kim Jong-un for his “unwavering support” for the invasion of Ukraine. Both leaders held a summit in Pyongyang (North Korea) in which the signing of a new bilateral strategic partnership treaty was expected.
Putin had also announced that they would discuss “a new document” that will serve as a basis for bilateral relations, at the beginning of the meeting taking place at the Kumsusan Palace in the North Korean capital, as reported by the Russian agency TASS.
“Russia appreciates the constant and unwavering support of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea’s official name) for Russian policies, including with regard to Ukraine,” Putin said.
The Russian leader has valued the “significant progress” achieved in cooperation between both countries since the previous summit held between the two on Russian territory. Putin has expressed confidence that the meetings in Pyongyang “will be productive.”
Likewise, he has assured that Moscow “is fighting against decades of imperialist policies imposed by the United States.” Putin has insisted that the relationship between Russia and North Korea “is based on mutual equality and respect,” according to his speech at the meeting reported by TASS.
The summit between Putin and Kim took place after a welcoming ceremony in Kim Il-Sung Square, the scene of the main parades and celebrations of the North Korean regime.
The Russian president landed early this Wednesday in Pyongyang. In addition to a new strategic partnership treaty, both leaders are expected to seal the creation of a “reciprocal trade and payment system” that will allow the sanctions imposed on both countries by the international community to be avoided, according to what the Russian president himself has written in a article published by the North Korean newspaper Rodong.
Many analysts believe that Putin’s trip, who plans to fly to Vietnam this Wednesday for a two-day visit, can serve to deepen military ties after the agreement in this field that he and Kim signed at a summit last year in the Russian Amur region.
