North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to expand and deepen cooperation with Russia, reaffirming Pyongyang’s support for Moscow as the two countries strengthen their strategic partnership.
Kim made the pledge in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin following North Korea’s 78th founding anniversary, according to state media.
He said North Korea was determined to broaden cooperation with Russia across multiple areas based on what he described as the countries’ friendship, mutual assistance and alliance relationship.
Kim Backs Russia’s “Sacred War”
Kim also expressed confidence that Russia would achieve victory in what he described as a “sacred war” for national and global justice.
The statement amounts to another public demonstration of Pyongyang’s support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
North Korea’s relationship with Russia has grown significantly closer since the invasion of Ukraine, with the two governments expanding cooperation in defence, security and other areas.
The two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in 2024 that includes a mutual defence commitment.
North Korea Has Supported Russia’s War Effort
Pyongyang’s support has extended beyond diplomatic statements.
North Korea has provided military assistance to Russia, including ammunition and missiles, while North Korean troops have also been deployed to support Russian forces.
Kim formally acknowledged in 2025 that North Korean soldiers were fighting alongside Russian forces, describing their participation as fulfilling their duty under the countries’ strategic partnership.
The expanding relationship has raised concerns in the United States, South Korea and other Western countries about the exchange of military technology and expertise between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Russia Relationship Gives Kim Strategic Leverage
Closer ties with Moscow provide North Korea with an important diplomatic and economic partner at a time when Pyongyang remains heavily isolated internationally.
Russia, meanwhile, benefits from North Korean military support as its war with Ukraine continues.
The relationship has therefore become increasingly transactional, with both governments gaining strategic advantages from closer cooperation.
For Kim, stronger ties with Russia also provide another major power with which to engage alongside China.
Kim Also Signals Continued Ties With China
Kim’s latest message to Putin came alongside efforts to maintain North Korea’s longstanding relationship with Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin both sent messages to Kim for North Korea’s founding anniversary, reaffirming their countries’ strategic relationships with Pyongyang.
Kim has also pledged to strengthen North Korea’s historical friendship with China and maintain cooperation based on their shared socialist ties.
The messages highlight Pyongyang’s strategy of maintaining close relationships with both Moscow and Beijing as tensions between major powers continue to reshape global politics.
Growing Russia-North Korea Alliance Raises Regional Concerns
The deepening partnership has implications far beyond the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea and its allies have warned that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea could allow Pyongyang to gain valuable battlefield experience and potentially access technologies that could strengthen its missile and weapons programmes.
At the same time, Russia’s reliance on North Korean military assistance has created a relationship that would have been difficult to imagine before the Ukraine war.
North Korea’s latest pledge suggests that the partnership is not simply a temporary arrangement linked to the conflict.
Instead, Kim appears determined to turn the relationship with Moscow into a broader and more enduring strategic alliance.
As Russia continues its war in Ukraine and North Korea expands its military capabilities, the growing partnership between the two countries is likely to remain a major concern for Washington, Seoul and their allies.
Leave a Reply