Kim Jong Un said on Wednesday that North Korea will always support Russia, according to state media, in a thank-you letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Ties between the two nations have strengthened since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Pyongyang reportedly sending ground troops and weapons systems to aid Russia’s war effort. Analysts suggest this support has been exchanged for food and weapons technology from Russia.
“I express my sincere thanks to you for sending warm and sincere congratulations first on my reassumption of the heavy duty as president of the state affairs," Kim said in the message on Tuesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea’s rubber-stamp legislature reappointed Kim this week as head of the country’s highest policymaking and governing body.
“Today the DPRK and Russia are closely cooperating to defend the sovereignty of the two countries,” Kim said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name.
“Pyongyang will always be with Moscow. This is our choice and unshakeable will,” he added.
South Korean and Western intelligence estimates suggest North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia, mainly in the Kursk region, along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems. Around 2,000 soldiers have reportedly been killed and thousands more wounded.
Putin and Kim struck a military deal during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June 2024, committing both countries to provide military assistance “without delay” in the event of an attack on the other.
Kim’s letter follows reports from Belarusian state media that Alexander Lukashenko would visit North Korea on a two-day trip from Wednesday “to strengthen bilateral cooperation".
Both North Korea and Belarus have provided support for Russia in its war on Ukraine and are considered adversaries of the West. The North has yet to confirm the visit.
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