Putin and Kim: We'll Come to Each Other's Aid

Russia and North Korea have entered into a "strategic partnership agreement" – and a pact with mutual defence guarantees. If one country is attacked, the other commits to coming to its aid, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un have agreed in Pyongyang.

» Updated: October 04 2024

» Published: June 19 2024

Putin and Kim: We'll Come to Each Other's Aid
Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kreml via AP/TT

Share this article

Russia and North Korea have entered into a "strategic partnership agreement" – and a pact with mutual defence guarantees.

If one of the countries is attacked, the other is committed to coming to its aid, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un have agreed in Pyongyang.

The comprehensive partnership agreement signed today provides for the provision of mutual assistance in the event of an attack on one of the agreement's parties, says Russia's President Vladimir Putin, according to the state-controlled media in his homeland.

It is not clear in detail how this promise is formulated – what assistance would entail in a conflict situation such as the Russian invasion war in Ukraine – but they describe it as entirely defence-oriented.

"Support and solidarity"

Russia's President arrived in North Korea and Pyongyang on Tuesday, where he was met by Kim Jong-Un at the airport. They then drove in a motorcade along streets adorned with Russian flags and large pictures of Putin, with crowds in grand arrangements.

The two autocrats agree that their countries' military and economic cooperation should be strengthened, as well as their united front against the USA, according to an agreement at the summit in North Korea.

At the meeting's opening, Putin thanked Kim for North Korea's support, including in the war in Ukraine. Russia's state-controlled media report that the two leaders spoke for about two hours.

Vladimir Putin says he hopes that the next meeting with Kim will take place in Moscow. The two last met when Kim visited Putin in Russia's Far East last autumn. The Russian leader last visited North Korea 24 years ago, when he was relatively new to his post.

Russia's government has strengthened its contacts with North Korea alongside the ongoing invasion war in Ukraine. North Korea is said to have supplied Russia with weapons.

"Showing that one is not isolated"

There are two reasons why Russia is turning to North Korea now, according to Carolina Vendil Pallin, research leader for the Russia Group at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI).

Russia is trying in every way to establish closer relations with countries that they do not define as "non-friendly" in order to show that they are not isolated.

And they need ammunition and weapons deliveries, says Carolina Vendil Pallin.

The war has put Russia in a weakened position, and countries like North Korea can now demand things from Russia in a completely different way, such as technology transfer.

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Afghanistan Earthquake Leaves 900 Dead and 3000 Injured
2 MIN READ

Afghanistan Earthquake Leaves 900 Dead and 3000 Injured

Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Agreement via Mongolia
1 MIN READ

Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Agreement via Mongolia

2,000 North Korean Soldiers Reported Dead in Ukraine War
1 MIN READ

2,000 North Korean Soldiers Reported Dead in Ukraine War

Xi and Putin Reaffirm Strong Ties During Beijing Meeting
1 MIN READ

Xi and Putin Reaffirm Strong Ties During Beijing Meeting

Genocide Expert: Gaza Conflict May Take Years for Legal Verdict
4 MIN READ

Genocide Expert: Gaza Conflict May Take Years for Legal Verdict

20 Missing After Violent Protests in Indonesia
1 MIN READ

20 Missing After Violent Protests in Indonesia

Landslide Devastates Sudanese Village in Darfur Leaving One Survivor
1 MIN READ

Landslide Devastates Sudanese Village in Darfur Leaving One Survivor

13 Dead in Israeli Air Strikes on Gaza
1 MIN READ

13 Dead in Israeli Air Strikes on Gaza

Belgium to Recognize Palestine at UN General Assembly in September
1 MIN READ

Belgium to Recognize Palestine at UN General Assembly in September

Kim Jong-Un Visits China for Military Parade
1 MIN READ

Kim Jong-Un Visits China for Military Parade

Burkina Faso Military Regime Criminalizes Homosexuality
1 MIN READ

Burkina Faso Military Regime Criminalizes Homosexuality

Trump Awards Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom
1 MIN READ

Trump Awards Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Racism Scandal Threatens Finland Government Stability
2 MIN READ

Racism Scandal Threatens Finland Government Stability

Maduro Claims US Warships Threaten Venezuela
1 MIN READ

Maduro Claims US Warships Threaten Venezuela

Ukraine's Ex-President Yanukovych Criticizes EU in Rare Interview
1 MIN READ

Ukraine's Ex-President Yanukovych Criticizes EU in Rare Interview

850,000 Syrians Return Home After Assad's Regime Falls
1 MIN READ

850,000 Syrians Return Home After Assad's Regime Falls

Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Deportation of Migrant Children
2 MIN READ

Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Deportation of Migrant Children

Malmer Stenergard: Genocide Term Requires Legal Definition
1 MIN READ

Malmer Stenergard: Genocide Term Requires Legal Definition

Israel Uproots Thousands of Olive Trees in West Bank Village
2 MIN READ

Israel Uproots Thousands of Olive Trees in West Bank Village

US Plan for Gaza: Cash Incentives for Voluntary Relocation
2 MIN READ

US Plan for Gaza: Cash Incentives for Voluntary Relocation