Kim Jong Un promised Putin further strengthening of ties with Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced further deepening of relations with Russia and expressed confidence in their successful development. He wrote this in a message to Russian ruler Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

Kim said he is proud of the current level of relations between the DPRK and Russia. He also expressed confidence that Russia under Putin's leadership will continue to develop and protect its "territorial integrity".

Putin also sent a message to Kim Jong Un. He said that relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have reached an "unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership", and the two states are actively cooperating in various fields.

DPRK increasingly involved in Russia's war against Ukraine

The exchange of messages comes against the backdrop of a sharp deepening of military cooperation between the two countries. North Korea has already sent its military personnel to participate in the war on the side of Russia, and Moscow and Pyongyang are bound by a treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, concluded in 2024 and providing for mutual military assistance.

Ukraine also claims that Russia is using North Korean ballistic missiles. In particular, in August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the use of such missiles during a strike on Zaporizhzhia, which killed employees of an enterprise.

Thus, the latest statements by Kim Jong Un and Putin confirm that Pyongyang and Moscow do not plan to curtail cooperation, which in recent years has gone far beyond diplomatic and economic relations and has acquired a direct military character.

Based on materials from: The Guardian, The Times of India