North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to "unconditionally" support Russia over the war against Ukraine and "responsibly" observe the articles of a mutual defence treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow, the North's state media reported on Thursday.
Kim made the remarks during his meeting with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu the previous day in Pyongyang, reports Yonhap, quoting the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Shoigu, Russia's top security official, arrived in North Korea on Wednesday, amid deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, highlighted by the North's troop dispatch to Russia to support the war against Ukraine.
During the meeting, Kim affirmed that North Korea will "unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues, including the Ukrainian issue," according to the KCNA.
Kim also said his country will "responsibly observe the articles of the treaty" between the two nations, it reported, referring to the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed by him and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June last year in Pyongyang.
During the talks, both sides "confirmed the consensus" of the two nations' stance on the Ukraine situation and pledged to develop the bilateral ties into the "powerful and comprehensive relations of strategic partnership."
Kim and Shoigu discussed prospects for rebuilding the Kursk front-line region and specific steps to "commemorate the memory of North Korean soldiers' feat," Russia's news agency Tass reported Wednesday, citing Russia's Security Council.
Seoul's unification ministry said the agenda items probably included North Korea's dispatch of additional troops to Russia, ceasefire negotiations underway for the Ukraine war and Kim's potential trip to Russia.
Given that the talks came on the inauguration day of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, an official at the ministry did not rule out the possibility that they discussed the outlook for inter-Korean relations and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Shoigu's latest trip, the second in less than three months, came ahead of the first anniversary of the signing of the mutual defense treaty on June 19 last year. The treaty calls for providing military assistance "without delay" if either side comes under attack.
In April, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that it had dispatched troops to fight alongside Russia against Ukraine. Seoul's spy agency said the North has sent around 15,000 soldiers to Russia so far and is believed to have incurred more than 4,700 casualties, including some 600 deaths.