Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un vow to aid each other if either country is attacked

Sky News
Updated ·2-min read

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un have vowed to aid each other if either's country is attacked.

The mutual defence clause is part of a comprehensive strategic partnership the pair signed in a bid to unite against the US.

The Russian leader, who is visiting North Korea for the first time in 24 years, claimed the agreement is defensive and peaceful in nature.

Ukraine war latest: UK says 'bizarre scenes' in Pyongyang should be warning

Russian state media said Mr Putin spoke to Mr Kim face-to-face for about two hours and thanked him for his country's support for the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin chief was treated to a lavish ceremony when he arrived in the North Korean capital on Wednesday.

Huge crowds lined the streets in Pyongyang to greet the motorcade, chanting "Welcome Putin" and waving flowers and North Korean and Russian flags.

International concern has grown over an arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with badly needed munitions in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers that could enhance Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missile programme.

Mr Kim said the "fiery friendship" was now even closer than during Soviet times, and promised "full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity".

He also hailed Russia's "important role and mission in preserving the strategic stability and balance in the world".

"The situation in the world is exacerbating and changing rapidly," Mr Kim said.

"In this situation, we intend to strengthen strategic interaction with Russia."

The UK's defence secretary Grant Shapps described the scenes in Pyongyang on Wednesday as "bizarre".

He added: "A new axis of tyranny is working to undermine our freedoms."

Read more:
Analysis: Putin visit a diplomatic two-fingers to the West
Warning shots after North Korean soldiers cross border

North Korea is under heavy sanctions from the United Nations Security Council - of which Russia is a member - over its weapons programme. Russia faces sanctions by the US and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.

The two leaders also exchanged gifts, with Mr Kim reportedly receiving a Russian-built limousine, a tea set and an admiral's dirk (dagger) and President Putin being given various works of art.

The visit comes after a major assault by Russian forces on the Ukrainian stronghold city of Kharkiv has faltered, amid heavy losses.

There is belief that Kyiv's defenders, wracked by ammunition shortages for months, could eventually be back on the front foot as more Western weapons - including F-16 fighter jets - arrive in Ukraine.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Ukraine to be told it is too corrupt to join Nato

    Ukraine will be told it is currently too corrupt to join Nato, in a major blow to Volodymyr Zelensky.

  • Reporter Reveals 'Real Anger' From Biden White House Aides After Debate

    They were "shocked" and felt "they had not been told the truth," said Axios' Alex Thompson.

  • A growing club led by Xi and Putin to counter the US is adding a staunchly pro-Russia member

    A club of Eurasian countries spearheaded by China and Russia to advance their leaders’ vision of an alternative world order is set to expand again this week – this time adding a staunch Russian ally that has openly supported Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

  • Russian air strike ‘destroys five Ukrainian fighter jets’ at airbase

    A Russian missile attack destroyed five warplanes at a Ukrainian airbase primed to receive F-16 fighter jets from Kyiv’s Nato allies.

  • Philippines says US mid-range missile system to be pulled out

    A US mid-range missile system deployed in the Philippines for annual joint military exercises -- to the annoyance of China -- will be pulled out of the country, a Philippine Army spokesman said Thursday.The US Army said in April it had deployed the Mid-Range Capability missile system which can fire the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile in the northern Philippines.

  • Trump Caught on Video Claiming ‘Broken-Down’ Biden Has Quit: ‘It’s Kamala’

    Donald Trump delivered a brutal assessment of Joe Biden’s performance against him in last week’s presidential debate, calling the president a “broken-down pile of crap” teetering on the verge of “quitting the race” in a video provided by a source to The Daily Beast.“He just quit, you know—he’s quitting the race,” Trump says, sitting in a golf cart. “I got him out of the—and that means we have Kamala.”Later in the clip, he fawns over Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him “a fierce man, very t

  • Harvard Law Professor Delivers Chilling Prediction After Trump Immunity Ruling

    Laurence Tribe explained what the Supreme Court decision means in "practical purposes" and it's "devastating."

  • Malaysia's Najib loses legal bid to serve sentence under house arrest

    KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -A Malaysian court dismissed jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak's legal bid to obtain a document that he said would allow him to serve his remaining prison sentence under house arrest. In a judicial review application filed on April 1, Najib said an "addendum order" issued by the former king had accompanied a pardons board's decision in February to halve his 12-year jail sentence for graft in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Najib had sought for the court to compel the government to reply to or confirm the existence of the royal order, which he said would entitle him to serve the remainder of his term under house arrest, and to execute the order if it existed.

  • US deports 116 Chinese migrants in first 'large' flight in 5 years

    The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it sent 116 Chinese migrants from the United States back home in the first “large charter flight” in five years. The flight, which happened over the weekend, comes as Chinese immigration has become the subject of intense political debate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. "We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

  • Who could replace Joe Biden as Democratic nominee? Here are six possibilities

    After his catastrophic debate against Trump and reports that some Democrats are calling for Biden to step aside, here’s who could run against Trump instead

  • Russia missed probably its best opportunity to steamroll Ukraine, war analyst argues

    War expert Mick Ryan says Russia failed to act decisively in the Ukraine war, missing a chance to strike a decisive blow.

  • Israeli strike kills another senior Hezbollah commander as diplomats scramble for calm in Lebanon

    An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday killed a senior Hezbollah commander as tensions between the two sides continue to boil, a Hezbollah official told The Associated Press. The strike near the southern coastal city of Tyre took place as global diplomatic efforts have intensified in recent weeks to prevent escalating clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military from spiraling into an all-out war that could possibly lead to a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran. A Hezbollah statement identified the killed commander as Mohammad Naameh Nasser, who went by the name “Abu Naameh,” his nom de guerre.

  • Are UFOs Real? What the Pentagon Has Learned

    "The most common misconception is that [UFOs] are all the same thing and they're all extraterrestrial, and neither of those are true," said one government expert

  • Russia's war-driven economy is so hot that the World Bank upgraded it to a 'high-income country'

    Russia's trade rebounded by nearly 7% last year, while activities in the financial sector and construction grew by 6.6% and 3.6% respectively.

  • China-led resolution on artificial intelligence passes in United Nations General Assembly

    In a diplomatic win for Beijing on Monday, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a China-led resolution that urges the international community to create a "free, open, inclusive and non-discriminatory" business environment among wealthy and developing nations for artificial intelligence development. More than 140 nations, including the United States, co-sponsored the non-binding resolution affirming that all nations should "enjoy equal opportunities" in the non-military domain,

  • Anthony Fauci defends ‘groggy’ Biden as pressure mounts for president to quit

    Anthony Fauci, one of America’s most senior and often controversial medical officials, has defended Joe Biden after his “groggy” performance in his debate with Donald Trump.

  • House Democrat is proposing a constitutional amendment to reverse Supreme Court's immunity decision

    A leading House Democrat is preparing a constitutional amendment in response to the Supreme Court's landmark immunity ruling, seeking to reverse the decision “and ensure that no president is above the law.” Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, sent a letter to colleagues informing them of his intent to file the resolution, which would kickstart what's traditionally a cumbersome amendment process. "This amendment will do what SCOTUS failed to do — prioritize our democracy,” Morelle said in a statement to AP.

  • Hezbollah’s deputy leader says group would stop fighting with Israel after Gaza cease-fire

    The deputy leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Tuesday the only sure path to a cease-fire on the Lebanon-Israel border is a full cease-fire in Gaza. “If there is a cease-fire in Gaza, we will stop without any discussion,” Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, said in an interview with The Associated Press at the group’s political office in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah's participation in the Israel-Hamas war has been as a “support front” for its ally, Hamas, Kassem said, and “if the war stops, this military support will no longer exist.”

  • Russia seeking China's help to develop Arctic shipping route - is it worth it for Beijing?

    Russia is seeking China's help in developing an Arctic sea route that could almost halve the journey time between Europe and Asia, although the heightened geopolitical risk and Moscow's suspicion about Beijing's intentions in the region may limit their scope for cooperation. Russia hopes the Northern Sea Route (NSR) will become a year-round shipping lane as global warming makes it possible to send ships through waters that were previously only passable in summer. Some shipping is already using t

  • Israel and Hamas appear on brink of framework agreement for ceasefire and hostage deal, Israeli source says

    Israeli officials believe Hamas’ latest response will enable the two parties to enter detailed negotiations to reach an agreement, according to a source familiar with the matter.