Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially enacted a treaty solidifying Russia’s strategic partnership with North Korea, which includes a clause for mutual defense, as confirmed by a decree published on Shabbos.
The agreement, which was signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June following their summit in Pyongyang, stipulates that both countries will support each other in the event of an armed attack.
The Russian upper house approved the treaty earlier this week, following the lower house’s approval last month. On Shabbos, Putin signed a decree formalizing the ratification, which was made available on a government website that details the legislative processes.
This treaty marks a significant deepening of the relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Reports from both South Korea and Western nations suggest that North Korea has been supplying arms to Russia, with Ukrainian forensic experts identifying evidence of these weapons at locations hit by Russian forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Thursday that North Korea has sent 11,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces, some of whom have been reported as casualties in clashes with Ukraine’s military in Russia’s Kursk region.
{Matzav.com}