‘Always proud’: Kim Jong Un hails Russia ties in message to Putin

File
photo:
No th
Ko ea
leade
Kim
Jo g
U
with
Russia
P eside t
Vladimi
Puti
(Pictu e
c edit:
Reute s)

No th
Ko ea
leade
Kim
Jo g
U
has
eaffi med
Pyo gya g’s
close
ties
with
Russia,
telli g
P eside t
Vladimi
Puti
that
he
is
p oud
of
the
elatio ship
betwee
the
two
cou t ies
as
No th
Ko ea
ma ked
the
a ive sa y
of
its
libe atio
f om
Japa ese
colo ial
ule.Kim’s
message
came
i
espo se
to
a
co g atulato y
lette
f om
Puti
ma ki g
the
81st
a ive sa y
of
Japa ‘s
su e de
i
Wo ld
Wa
II.The
excha ge
u de sco ed
the
g owi g
st ategic
pa t e ship
betwee
Pyo gya g
a d
Moscow,
which
has
deepe ed
sig ifica tly
si ce
Russia
lau ched
its
full-scale
i vasio
of
Uk ai e
i
2022.Kim
said
he
was
“p oud”
of
the
cou t ies’
elatio ship
a d
exp essed
co fide ce
i
its
futu e.“I
am
always
p oud
to
be
able
to
expect
mo e
excelle t
futu e
of
the
bilate al
elatio s
by
leadi g,
togethe
with
you,
the
DPRK-Russia
ties
that
has
ca ied
fo wa d
the
histo y
of
commo
st uggle,”
Kim
said
i
his
lette ,
acco di g
to
No th
Ko ea
state
media
KCNA.He
also
exp essed
“fi m
belief”
that
Russia
would
p ospe
a d
p otect
its
“te ito ial
i teg ity”
u de
Puti ‘s
leade ship.

Puti
hails
‘u p ecede tedly
high
level’
of
pa t e ship

Puti ‘s
message,
delive ed
to
Kim
o
F iday,
desc ibed
ties
betwee
Moscow
a d
Pyo gya g
as
havi g
eached
a
“u p ecede tedly
high
level
of
comp ehe sive
st ategic
pa t e ship”.

“Ou
states
a e
actively
coope ati g
i
all
the
secto s
while
maki g
co ce ted
effo ts
to
e su e
the
egio al
secu ity
a d
stability,”
Puti
said,
acco di g
to
ews
age cy
AFP.Kim,
i
his
eply,
said
the
elatio ship
had
p ese ved
the
“histo y
of
commo
st uggle
fo
justice
a d
p ecious
t aditio s
of
f ie dship”.The
two
cou t ies’
ties
have
expa ded
sha ply
si ce
Russia’s
i vasio
of
Uk ai e.
No th
Ko ea
has
p ovided
t oops
a d
weapo s
to
suppo t
Moscow’s
wa
effo t,
maki g
its
i volveme t
i
the
co flict
its
most
sig ifica t
milita y
e gageme t
outside
the
Ko ea
pe i sula
si ce
the
Ko ea
Wa .I
etu ,
a alysts
have
said
Pyo gya g
has
eceived
eco omic
assista ce
a d
milita y
tech ology
f om
Moscow.The
latest
excha ge
also
came
as
the
Russia
ship

Pallada
a ived
at
Wo sa
po t
i
No th
Ko ea
o
Satu day
fo
a
goodwill
visit
li ked
to
the
libe atio
a ive sa y.
It
was
welcomed
by
No th
Ko ea
p ovi cial
officials
a d
Russia
embassy
staff,
acco di g
to
KCNA.

No th
Ko ea’s
Russia
ties
g ow
as
Seoul
seeks
dialogue

The
st e gthe i g
No th
Ko ea-Russia
elatio ship
comes
as
South
Ko ea
P eside t
Lee
Jae
Myu g
e ewed
calls
fo
e gageme t
with
Pyo gya g.I
a
speech
o
Satu day
ma ki g
Ko ea’s
libe atio
f om
Japa ese
colo ial
ule,
Lee
called
fo
talks
aimed
at
establishi g
peaceful
coexiste ce
betwee
the
two
Ko eas.He
said
Seoul
wa ted
safegua ds
to
p eve t
co flict
a d
u ged
effo ts
to
eplace
the
a mistice
that
e ded
the
1950-53
Ko ea
Wa
with
a
fo mal
“peace
egime”.Lee
also
said
dialogue
could
add ess
ways
to
cu b
the
expa sio
of
No th
Ko ea’s
uclea
capabilities.No th
Ko ea
has
so
fa
ejected
Lee’s
ove tu es
a d
has
c iticised
pla ed
US-South
Ko ea
milita y
exe cises
as
p ovocatio s.The
two
Ko eas
tech ically
emai
at
wa
because
the
1950-53
co flict
e ded
with
a
a mistice
athe
tha
a
peace
t eaty.The
co t ast
betwee
Seoul’s
push
fo
dialogue
a d
Pyo gya g’s
i c easi gly
close
milita y
elatio ship
with
Moscow
highlights
the
competi g
diplomatic
a d
secu ity
dy amics
o
the
Ko ea
pe i sula.

Uk ai e
wa
adds
to
sc uti y
of
Pyo gya g-Moscow
coope atio

The
Kim-Puti
excha ge
also
comes
amid
co ti ui g
allegatio s
about
No th
Ko ea
milita y
suppo t
fo
Russia.Uk ai e
has
accused
Moscow
of
usi g
No th
Ko ea
ballistic
missiles
i
attacks.
AFP
epo ted
that
Kyiv
alleged
this
mo th
that
Russia
fo ces
had
lau ched
No th
Ko ea
missiles
i
a
st ike
that
killed
at
least
i e
people
a d
wou ded
doze s.Uk ai ia
P eside t
Volodymy
Zele sky
has
also
claimed
that
as
ma y
as
50,000
No th
Ko ea
t oops
could
be
deployed
to
Russia,
although
Kyiv
has
ot
p ovided
evide ce
o
a
timef ame
suppo ti g
that
claim.The
g owi g
milita y
coope atio
has
aised
co ce s
i
Seoul
a d
Washi gto
about
the
t a sfe
of
battlefield
expe ie ce
a d
milita y
tech ology
betwee
Russia
a d
No th
Ko ea.

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