North Korea: Agreement between Putin and Kim requires immediate military support in case of war

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The new agreement between Russia and North Korea North Korean state press reported on Thursday that the agreement reached by their leaders at a summit in Pyongyang commits both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war.

Both North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin described Wednesday’s agreement as a significant expansion of bilateral ties in the areas of security, trade, investment, culture and humanitarian aid. Observers outside the United States said it could be the strongest bond between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.

The North’s official Korean News Agency reported the text of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement on Thursday. The agency said Article 4 of the agreement states that if one of the countries is attacked and forced into a state of war, the other country must “without delay use all means at its disposal” to provide “military and other assistance.”

The summit between Kim and Putin took place as the US and its allies declared growing concerns about a possible arms deal in which Pyongyang would supply Moscow with urgently needed ammunition for its War in Ukrainein exchange for economic aid and technology transfers that could increase the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.

After the summit, Kim said the two countries enjoyed a “fiery friendship” and the agreement was their “strongest treaty ever,” bringing relations to the level of an alliance. He vowed to fully support Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin called it a “groundbreaking document” that reflected a shared desire to take relations to a higher level.

North Korea and the former Soviet Union signed a treaty in 1961 that, according to experts, provided for military intervention by Moscow in the event of an attack on the North. The treaty was scrapped after the collapse of the USSR and replaced in 2000 by a new one that offered weaker security guarantees.

After the meeting between Kim and Putin, South Korean officials said they were still interpreting the summit’s results, including questions about how Russia might respond in the event of an attack on North Korea and whether the new agreement promises a similar level of protection as the 1961 treaty. South Korean officials did not immediately comment on the North Korean report on the details of the agreement as of Thursday morning.

“We cannot tell you anything concrete at this point,” said Lee Kyung-ho, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Seoul, when asked during a briefing whether he believed Russia had committed to automatic military operations in war situations on behalf of the North.

The deal was struck as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. The visit highlighted the two countries’ personal and geopolitical ties: Kim hugged Putin twice at the airport, their motorcade drove past giant Russian flags and portraits of Putin, and a welcoming ceremony was held in Pyongyang’s main square that was apparently attended by tens of thousands of spectators.

According to KCNA, the agreement also states that Pyongyang and Moscow will not be allowed to enter into agreements with third parties that harm the other party’s “core interests” and will not engage in actions that threaten those interests.

According to KCNA, the agreements commit countries to prepare joint measures to strengthen their defense capabilities to prevent wars and protect peace and security in the region and globally. However, the agency did not provide details on what the measures are and whether they include joint military training and other cooperation.

The agreement also calls for active cooperation between the two countries in efforts to create a “fair and multipolar new world order,” KCNA said, underscoring how the two countries are joining forces in the face of their separate, escalating confrontations with the United States.

In recent months, Kim has made Russia his priority and pursued a foreign policy aimed at expanding relations with countries at odds with Washington, embracing the idea of ​​a “new Cold War” and seeking to present a united front in Putin’s larger conflicts with the West.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula are at their highest level in years, with the pace of both Kim’s Weapons tests and joint military exercises The vicious circle of mutual retaliation between the USA, South Korea and Japan is intensifying.

The two Koreas also waged a Cold War-style psychological war, with North Korea throwing tons of garbage at the South using balloons and the South spreading anti-North Korean propaganda over loudspeakers.