North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to “unconditionally support” all of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies and decisions, Pyongyang’s state media said Friday.
North Korea has dispatched thousands of troops to fight for Russia, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, as Moscow presses ahead with its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter shared by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim said he felt “true comradely relations” from Putin and regarded their ties as the “most precious ones”.
“Close cooperation” between the two countries “will continue in various spheres in the future”, Kim wrote.
“I will unconditionally respect and unconditionally support all your policies and decisions and I have a willingness to be always with you for the sake of you and your Russia,” he added.
“This choice will be constant and permanent.”
The note came in response to a letter sent by the Russian leader, which state media did not share.
The two leaders also exchanged messages over the new year, with Kim saying North Korea and Russia had shared “blood, life and death” in the Ukraine war.
Putin, for his part, hailed the “invincible friendship” between the two countries, according to KCNA.
Pyongyang has increased missile testing in recent years — aimed, analysts say, at improving precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States and South Korea, and testing weapons before exporting them to Russia.
In addition to sending troops to fight for Russia, Pyongyang has sent artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.
In return, Russia is sending North Korea financial aid, military technology and food and energy supplies, analysts have said.
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