On Wednesday, Russia President Putin and Kim Jong-Un renewed the previous defense cooperation agreement of the cold war. The Russian leader did not specify whether they would demand immediate and active military support if there was any aggression; he only stated that such assistance “did not rule out” others. However, he added that his country may further enhance its military-technical cooperation with North Korea through this new treaty.
This alliance is one of the most significant rewards Moscow has given away to Kim for helping with dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 shipping containers of munitions it provided to help back up Putin’s Ukrainian military adventure. It also marked Russia’s furthest step toward backing North Korea after years of working together with the US at the United Nations (UN) to contain Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programme in a shift that became pronounced following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
There were no reports regarding new pact either from North Korea or Russia itself. Speaking on Russian news agency RIA Novosti, it is said that Kim referred to the accord as “most powerful” and praised Putin for having “outstanding foresight.” The deal will likely disturb Washington as well as its allies particularly South Korea because it will not only facilitate additional backing to support Russia’s war in Ukraine but will also undermine efforts being made by various states to curb North Korea’s N-missile programmes.
