Kim Jong Un hails ‘strong’ North Korea-Russia ties in message to Putin

North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un has reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the ties between Pyongyang and Moscow as a source of pride.

Kim made the remarks in a letter to Putin, according to an English-language report by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Sunday.

North Korea has emerged as a major supporter of Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Analysts say Pyongyang has provided military assistance, including troops, in exchange for economic support and access to Russian military technology.

In his message, Kim said he was proud of the progress in relations between the two countries and expressed optimism about their future cooperation.

He said he looked forward to advancing the bilateral relationship alongside Putin and described the partnership as one built on a shared history of struggle.

Kim also expressed confidence in Russia’s future under Putin’s leadership, saying he believed the Russian president would successfully safeguard the country’s territorial integrity.

Putin had earlier sent a message to Kim on Friday to mark Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II.

In his letter, Putin described the relationship between Russia and North Korea as having reached an unprecedented level of comprehensive strategic partnership.

He said the two countries were cooperating across multiple sectors while working together to promote regional security and stability.

The exchange between the two leaders came amid renewed allegations by Ukraine that Russia had used North Korean ballistic missiles in attacks on Ukrainian territory.

Kyiv recently accused Moscow of launching North Korean-made missiles in a strike that reportedly killed at least nine people and injured dozens of others.

Ukraine has also claimed that as many as 50,000 North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia, although it has not provided evidence supporting the figure or specified when such a deployment could take place.

Following the allegations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged South Korea to provide air defence systems to help counter Russian missile attacks. Seoul has yet to respond positively to the request.