‘Militant Unity’: Putin, Kim Jong-un Pledge to Expand Bilateral Cooperation
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Vladimir Putin sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledging to expand bilateral relations on Monday, marking the latest promise of cooperation as the two leaders turn their diplomatic focus away from the West.
Putin sent the letter to congratulate North Korea on their day of liberation, saying, “our two countries cherish precious memories of the service personnel of the Red Army and the Korean patriots who fought for Korea’s liberation shoulder to shoulder,” according South-Korean based KCNA Watch.
The letter vowed that the “two countries would continue to expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral ties with their joint efforts.”
Russia and North Korea will “contribute to strengthening the security and stability of the Korean peninsula and the Northeast Asian region as a whole,” the letter continued.
Kim responded to Putin’s letter, saying, “the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries based on comradely friendship and militant unity would grow stronger in all fields,” according to the outlet.
North Korea and Russia have forged closer diplomatic ties after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. North Korea was the third nation to recognize the independence of the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, and was one of the five countries in the U.N. who refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian ambassador to Pyongyang stated that North Korean “builders” will help rebuild Russian-occupied Donbas, and that the two countries will work together to bypass western sanctions.
“North Korea is one of the very few countries that can afford to pursue a completely independent foreign policy. No one — neither Russia with China, let alone the United States — can force North Koreans to do something or not to do something,” ambassador Alexander Matsegora said, adding that Russia intends to fight against the global sanctions on North Korea.
Russian talk show host Igor Korotchenko said on Russian state TV on August 5 that North Korea had promised 100,000 “volunteers” to take part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — a claim that was disputed by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Since the invasion, Putin has met in person with the leaders of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, and Iran, attempting to bolster alliances amid heavy sanctions from the West.
