North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced his country’s unconditional support for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine during a recent state visit paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang on Wednesday.
Quoting Kim, who was speaking through the medium of Russian news agencies, “my country pledges full backing and solidarity with the government, army and people of Russia in implementing a unique military operation in Ukraine aimed at saving territorial integrity, sovereignty as well as national security interest.”
The trip by Putin to Pyongyang has prompted worries about a possible arms agreement where North Korea will offer supplies of desperately needed ammunition to Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine while receiving economic aid and technology transfers that might enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Kim praised Russia for playing an “important role and mission in preserving the strategic stability and balance in the world” therefore calling for strengthening strategic interaction between two countries depending on changing global situation.
In contrast, West is concerned over close cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang because they suspected that Russia has been buying or using North Korea’s arms including weaponry during military offensives launched against Ukraine. Presently both North Korea and Russia are under economic sanctions impose by the United States (U.S) with her Western partners as well as United Nations Security Council respectively.
According to Russian state media sources, following their talks in Pyongyang Putin and Kim signed a “strategic partnership treaty”. Before this, Putin had hinted about drafting a paper that could serve as the foundation of future relations between two countries but didn’t add much else. In place of preceding bilateral documents or declarations signed by them in 1961, 2000, 2001 comes this accord.
During this visit also gifts were exchanged whereby Kim received among other things tea set together with luxurious car named Aurus made from Russia while gifts presented to Putin are however said to be related to his image at large leaving imaginations about busts presented not discussed therein.
During Putin’s motorcade to the talks, large crowds assembled along the streets chanting welcome Putin and waving flowers and North Korean flags as well as Russian one in what state media described as a historic event displaying “invincibility and durability” of friendship and unity between two countries. The last time Putin was there was 24 years ago.
Also, noting that his previous visit to the country had occurred almost 24 years ago, Putin praised the “close friendship” of Russia with DPRK, which he said was based on “equality and respect of mutual interests.” Moreover, he argued that they share a common struggle against the “imperialist hegemonistic policies of the US and its satellites against the Russian Federation.”
