Putin Submits Strategic Partnership Treaty with North Korea to Parliament

Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a draft law to the State Duma on Monday, Oct. 14, to ratify a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between Russia and North Korea.

This agreement, which implies potential military support, was made public through the Duma's legislative activity database.

A key provision in Article 4 of the agreement states that if either Russia or North Korea is attacked and enters a state of war, the other party will provide military and other assistance using all available means, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of both nations.

The treaty will take effect once both countries exchange ratification documents. Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed the agreement on June 19 during Putin's visit to North Korea, with the text later published by North Korea's Central Telegraph Agency.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the military assistance clause closely resembles a provision from the 1961 Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance between the USSR and North Korea.

Western sources report that North Korea has been supplying millions of artillery shells to Russia for its war with Ukraine. In addition, North Korean military engineers and personnel are reportedly aiding Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Oct.14 that North Korea is not only sending weapons but also deploying its citizens to fight alongside Russian troops.

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When asked if he was open to peace talks with Putin, Zelensky said the focus should not be on “the one on the opposite side of the table” but on the position “you find yourself in.’

Kyiv Post, citing its intelligence sources, earlier reported that more than 20 soldiers were killed as a result of an Oct. 3 missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk, including six officers from North Korea, who came to confer with their Russian counterparts.

According to reports from Russian social media, prior to the missile strike, the Russians were demonstrating to North Korean representatives the training of personnel for assault actions and defense.

Last year, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported the arrival of a limited contingent of servicemen from North Korea to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, including units of engineering troops, indicating active cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

The Center for National Resistance (CNR) reported in September 2023 that Russia was planning to bring North Korean citizens to the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk for construction work.

The CNR assessed that the North Koreans were invited to ensure the supply of labor in these regions, as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine has resulted in a labor shortage throughout Russia and the occupied territories.