North Korean leader Kim calls ties with Russia top priority in Victory Day message to Putin
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his country's position to "give top priority" to its partnership with Russia.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on May 9 reaffirmed his country’s commitment to its mutual defence treaty with Russia, in a message to President Vladimir Putin congratulating Russia on the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Mr Kim reiterated North Korea’s position to “give top priority” to its partnership with Russia and its commitment to “the implementation of the obligations of the inter-state treaty”, according to the North’s state media outlet KCNA.
Russia and North Korea in 2024 signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” during a visit to Pyongyang by Mr Putin. The pact includes a mutual defence provision.
North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 troops to fight with Russian forces in Kursk during the ongoing war in Ukraine. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials said those troops suffered heavy casualties, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed in the fighting.
On May 9, Russia holds its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years because of the threat of attack from Ukraine, where victory for Moscow’s forces has proven elusive more than four years into the deadliest European conflict since World War II.
Russia and Ukraine confirmed on May 8 that they had agreed to a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, which will run from May 9 to 11. REUTERS
