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Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a landmark defence pact with North Korea, a deal that comes amid reports that Pyongyang has dispatched thousands of troops to fight against Ukraine.
Putin struck the deal during a visit to North Korea in June, but it had to pass through Russia’s parliament and signed by the Kremlin leader to come into force.
Read Also: Washington, Seoul Urge N-Korea To Pull Troops From Russia
The Kremlin published the signed law ratifying the treaty on its website on Saturday evening.
The agreement formalises months of deepening security cooperation between the two nations, which were Communist allies throughout the Cold War.
North Korea has become one of the most vocal and important backers of Russia’s full-scale offensive on Ukraine.
The deal obligates both states to provide military assistance “without delay” in the case of an attack on the other.
It also commits them to cooperate internationally to oppose Western sanctions and coordinate positions at the United Nations.
Putin hailed it in June as a “breakthrough document.”
Citing intelligence reports, South Korea, Ukraine and the West say North Korea has deployed around 10,000 troops to Russia to fight against Ukraine.
When asked publicly about the deployment last month, Putin did not deny it, instead deflecting the question to criticise the West’s support of Ukraine.
In other news, the United States and South Korean defense chiefs called Wednesday for North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia, where Washington says some 10,000 of them have been deployed for possible action against Ukrainian forces.
Russia and North Korea have deepened their political and military alliance as the Ukraine war has dragged on, but sending Pyongyang’s troops into combat against Kyiv’s forces would mark a significant escalation that has sparked widespread international concern.
“I call upon them to withdraw their troops out of Russia,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Pentagon, echoing a call by his South Korean counterpart Kim Yong-hyun, who stood beside him.
Austin said the United States will “continue to work with allies and partners to discourage Russia from employing these troops in combat.”
But there is a “good likelihood” that Moscow will still do so, according to the US defense secretary, who said that North Korean forces are being outfitted with Russian uniforms and weapons.
