North Korean leader Kim calls ties with Russia top priority in Victory Day message to Putin
Kim Jong Un also reportedly pledged North Korea's continued commitment to a bilateral pact, signed in 2024, that includes a mutual defence provision.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (second from right) speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin (second from left) during their visit to Beijing to attend China's commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing, China, Sep 3, 2025, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday (May 9) reaffirmed his country's commitment to its mutual defence treaty with Russia, in a message to President Vladimir Putin congratulating Russia on the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Kim reiterated North Korea's position to "give top priority" to its partnership with Russia and its commitment to "the implementation of the obligations of the inter-state treaty," according to North Korean state media KCNA.
Russia and North Korea in 2024 signed a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty" during a visit to Pyongyang by Putin. The pact includes a mutual defence provision.
North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 troops to fight with Russian forces in Kursk during the ongoing war in Ukraine. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials said those troops suffered heavy casualties, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed in the fighting.
On Saturday, Russia holds its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years due to the threat of attack from Ukraine, where victory for Moscow's forces has proven elusive more than four years into the deadliest European conflict since World War II.
Russia and Ukraine confirmed on Friday that they had agreed to a three-day ceasefire announced by United States President Donald Trump, which will run from May 9 to May 11.
