On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a new contract that asks for them to support one another in the event of “aggression” against either nation. The two countries rekindled a mutual defense pledge from the Cold War. In a presentation after the two leaders signed the agreement, the Russian president did not specify whether quick, full-fledged military intervention would be required in the event of an strike, as the now-defunct 1961 treaty lacked. However, he claimed that in accordance with the new arrangement, Russia “does not eliminate the development of military-technical cooperation” with North Korea.
One of the most obvious benefits Kim has received from Moscow in exchange for the dozens of nuclear weapons and more than 11, 000 shipping vessels of weapons that Washington has claimed North Korea has provided in recent months to help Putin’s war in Ukraine was the most obvious reward. It also represented the farthest the Kremlin has ever gone, throwing its weight behind North Korea in response to years of working with the US at the UN to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile program, a shift that accelerated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The language of the new contract was not made public by North Korea or Russia. Kim called the alliance a “most prominent deal” and praised the “outstanding fortitude” of Putin, the Russian media company RIA Novosti said. The commitment of mutual aid is likely to beep Washington and its allies, especially South Korea, because it could undermine efforts to suppress North Korea’s N-missile programs as well as increase Russian support for its war in Ukraine.
