Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted a draft law to ratify a strategic partnership agreement with North Korea, including a provision for military support in times of attack. The agreement, signed by Putin and Kim Jong Un in June, closely resembles a clause from the 1961 USSR-North Korea Treaty. Western sources report North Korea supplying artillery shells to Russia amid its conflict with Ukraine, with North Korean engineers aiding Russian forces. Ukrainian President Zelensky claims North Korea is sending weapons and citizens to fight alongside Russian troops. Kyiv Post intelligence sources suggest 20 soldiers, including six North Koreans, were killed in a missile strike on Russian-occupied Donetsk in early October. Reports indicate ongoing cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including the deployment of North Korean servicemen to Eastern Ukraine. The Center for National Resistance notes plans to bring North Korean laborers to occupied territories for construction work due to a labor shortage caused by the conflict. The agreement awaits ratification to take effect, raising concerns about increased military support for Russia’s operations in Ukraine.
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Putin sends N. Korea strategic partnership treaty to Parliament
