Putin Ratifies Treaty With North Korea, Pledging Mutual Military Support If Attacked

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation to ratify a bilateral treaty with North Korea, which includes a promise of mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, state media reported.

Tass on Saturday reported Putin's signing of the law on ratification of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Putin signed the deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to North Korea in June this year and Putin submitted it to the Russian State Duma for ratification on October 15. The lower and upper houses of the Russian parliament had earlier approved the bill for ratification.

The preamble to the treaty states that the document meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of Russia and North Korea "and contributes to ensuring peace, regional and global security and stability," Tass reported.

The treaty stipulates that if one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack the other will deploy all means in its possession to provide military and other assistance, without delay, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on last week said that approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in Russia, with around 8,000 deployed in the Kursk region.

The remarks by Blinken came during a press conference with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III, Republic of Korea Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, and Republic of Korea Minister of Defence Kim Yong-hyun on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming the first combat engagement between North Korean troops and Ukrainian forces and he said that some 11,000 North Korean soldiers were already in Russia's Kursk region.

South Korea's Defence Ministry also on Tuesday said that some 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia, with a "considerable" number of them having been dispatched to front-line areas, Yonhap reported.

Russia and North Korea have stepped up military cooperation since the beginning of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. (ANI)