Pyongyang, Aug 2026 : North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised the increasingly close relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow, telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that he was “proud” of the strong ties between the two countries, state media reported on Sunday.
Kim’s remarks came in a letter to Putin as North Korea continues to deepen its political and military cooperation with Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Pyongyang has emerged as an important supporter of Moscow’s war effort, with analysts saying North Korea has provided military assistance in exchange for economic support and access to Russian military technology.
“I am always proud to be able to expect more excellent future of the bilateral relations by leading, together with you, the DPRK-Russia ties that has carried forward the history of common struggle,” Kim said in the letter, according to an English-language report by the official Korean Central News Agency.
DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.
Kim also expressed confidence in Russia’s future under Putin, saying he had a “firm belief” that the country would continue to prosper and protect its territorial integrity under what he described as the Russian leader’s “wise leadership.”
The exchange followed a letter Putin sent to Kim on Friday to mark Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II. In his message, Putin said relations between Moscow and Pyongyang had reached an “unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership.”
“Our states are actively cooperating in all the sectors while making concerted efforts to ensure the regional security and stability,” Putin said.
The latest exchange underscores the increasingly strategic nature of the partnership between the two countries, particularly as both face growing tensions with Western nations.
North Korea’s alleged military support for Russia has been a major source of concern for Ukraine and its allies. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons and other military assistance to Moscow for use in the war.
The latest exchange of messages also comes after Ukraine accused Russia this month of using North Korean ballistic missiles in an attack that killed at least nine people and wounded dozens more.
North Korea has separately faced accusations of deploying military personnel to assist Russia. Ukrainian authorities have recently claimed that as many as 50,000 North Korean troops could eventually be sent to Russia. Kyiv, however, has not provided evidence publicly establishing the number or a specific timeframe for such a deployment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also urged South Korea to provide air-defence systems to help protect Ukraine against Russian missile attacks, particularly amid concerns over North Korean involvement in Russia’s military campaign.
Seoul has so far not agreed to the request.
The growing military and diplomatic cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang has added another dimension to the Ukraine conflict, while also raising concerns about the transfer of military technology and the potential impact on security in East Asia.
Kim’s latest message indicates that North Korea intends to maintain and further strengthen its relationship with Russia, presenting the partnership as a continuation of what he described as a shared history of struggle and cooperation.
(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
