North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his 72nd birthday, describing him as his “closest comrade”.
Kim added that relations between both countries would be raised to a new level.
Relations between Pyongyang and Moscow have deepened since the start of the Ukraine war – in a move that has worried the West.
“I am now recollecting with deep emotion the days when we developed the traditional DPRK-Russia relations into the invincible alliance relations and eternal strategic relations with the realization of independence and justice as the common idea and deepened our friendship by declaring to the world together with you the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in Pyongyang on last June 19.
“Meetings and comradely ties between us to be continued in the future will make a positive contribution to further consolidating the eternal foundation of the DPRK-Russia friendship and strategic and cooperative relations put on an orbit of fresh comprehensive development and defending regional and global peace and international justice,” the North Korean leader said.
Separately on Tuesday, Kim said Pyongyang would speed up steps to make his country a military superpower with nuclear weapons.
The relationship between North Korea and Russia goes back decades – to Stalin and Kim Il-sung, the current Kim’s grandfather. The Soviet Union supported North Korea in its early days with weapons and technology, and Pyongyang has never wanted to completely rely on China – which it does not fully trust.
Earlier this year, Putin and Kim signed an agreement pledging that they would help each other in the event of “aggression” against either country – though it was unclear what would constitute aggression.
Kim has been accused of helping Russia in the war against Ukraine by supplying it with weapons in exchange for economic and technological assistance.
There has been growing evidence that Russia has been deploying North Korean missiles in Ukraine.
North Korea is primarily trying to perfect its nuclear and missile arsenal. It has made very surprising progress in the last decade in producing new missile systems and miniaturising its nuclear devices.
But Russia has far more advanced thermonuclear warhead designs, re-entry vehicle designs and solid rocket motor designs.
During a visit by Kim to Russia in September 2023, Putin had promised to help North Korea develop its satellites, after several failed launches by Pyongyang.
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