North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently hosted a Russian military delegation led by Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko in Pyongyang to discuss the “importance and necessity” of strengthening defense cooperation between the two nations, according to state media reports on Friday.
This meeting, which took place on Thursday, followed a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea about a month ago. During that visit, the two countries signed a mutual defense agreement that has raised concerns in Seoul and Washington.
North Korea and Russia have been allies since the establishment of North Korea after World War II and have grown closer since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Kim Jong Un stressed the need for their armed forces to “unite more firmly” to advance DPRK-Russia relations in this new era and to play a crucial role in safeguarding regional and global peace, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency.
The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of supplying ammunition and missiles to Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine, leading to heightened concerns about further arms deliveries. Following the Pyongyang meeting, Putin exacerbated these worries by suggesting he “does not rule out” the possibility of sending weapons to North Korea. North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 due to its weapons programs, adding further tension to the situation.
