Russia and North Korea sign partnership agreement

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement on Wednesday pledging mutual assistance if either country is subjected to “aggression”. This strategic pact comes as both countries face escalating disputes with the West. Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but it could represent the strongest ties between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. The two leaders described it as a major improvement in their relations in the areas of security, trade, investment and cultural and humanitarian ties.

The summit came after Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years and the US and its allies expressed growing concern over a possible arms deal in which Pyongyang would supply Moscow with munitions needed for its war in Ukraine in return for economic aid and technology transfer that could increase the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program, AP writes.

Kim said the two countries had a “fervent friendship” and the agreement was their “strongest treaty ever”, putting the relationship on the level of an alliance. He promised full support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin called it a “progressive document” reflecting a common desire to take relations to a higher level. North Korea and the former Soviet Union signed a treaty in 1961 which, according to experts, provided for Moscow’s military intervention in the event of an attack by North Korea. The agreement was abolished after the collapse of the USSR and replaced in 2000 with an agreement that offered weaker security guarantees. It was not immediately clear whether the new agreement offered a similar level of protection to the 1961 treaty.

Kim met Putin at the airport, where the two shook hands, hugged twice and rode together in a limousine. The huge motorcade made its way through the streets of the capital, where buildings were covered with giant Russian flags and portraits of Putin. After spending the night in a state guest house, Putin was welcomed Wednesday morning at a ceremony in the city’s main square attended by tens of thousands of spectators, including children with balloons and people wearing the white and blue national colors of both countries. Crowds on the streets shouted “Welcome Putin” and waved flowers and flags.

Putin and Kim greeted a guard of honor and walked down a red carpet. Kim introduced key members of his leadership, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui; Jo Yong Won, senior adviser and secretary of the ruling party; and the leader’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong.

In their talks, Putin thanked Kim for supporting North Korea in Ukraine, which he said was part of a “war against the hegemonic imperialist policy of the US and its satellites against the Russian Federation”. Putin praised the links he made to the Soviet military’s fight against the Japanese army on the Korean peninsula at the end of the Second World War and Moscow’s support for Pyongyang during the Korean War.

What kind of support was promised in the agreement was not explained. Kim has used similar language before, repeatedly saying North Korea supports what he believes is a justified move to protect Russia’s interests and blaming the West’s “hegemonic policies” for the crisis. North Korea is under heavy sanctions from the UN Security Council over its weapons program, while Russia is also facing sanctions from the US and its Western partners over its invasion of Ukraine. Officials from the US and South Korea accuse the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment for use in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for key military technologies and aid.

On Tuesday, a US State Department spokesman said that in recent months Washington had witnessed North Korea “illegally transferring dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 containers of ammunition to support Russia’s war effort”.

Both Pyongyang and Moscow deny allegations of arms transfers that would violate numerous UN Security Council sanctions previously imposed by Russia. Along with China, Russia has provided political cover for Kim’s efforts to expand its nuclear arsenal and has repeatedly blocked US-led efforts to impose new UN sanctions on the North over its weapons tests.

In March, a Russian veto in the Security Council ended UN sanctions monitoring against North Korea over its nuclear program, leading to Western accusations that Moscow is trying to avoid the vote by buying weapons from Pyongyang. Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Pyongyang that the leaders exchanged gifts after the talks. Putin presented Kim with a Russian-made Aurus limousine and other gifts, including a tea set and a naval officer’s dagger. Ushakov said Kim’s gifts to Putin included works of art depicting the Russian leader./The Geopost/