The partnership agreement would transfer military cooperation between… Russia And North Korea to a new level, stating that they will provide mutual assistance if either country is attacked.
The ratification was the final stage of the agreement signed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin And the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un In Pyongyang in June.
“The treaty fully takes into account the current geopolitical situation,” said Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee.
He added that the agreement formed “the basis for expanding cooperation in all areas of interaction and the basis for a comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.”
For her part, a Ministry spokeswoman said Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova Military cooperation does not violate any laws.
The ratification of the agreement came against the backdrop of reports from South Korea and Ukraine that thousands of North Korean soldiers were being sent to Russia before being deployed in Ukraine.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Wednesday that the United States has “evidence” of the presence of North Korean forces in Russia, but it is not yet clear what these forces are doing.
The United States considers the alliance between the two countries dangerous, and has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of supplying Russia with ammunition and weapons for use in its war against Ukraine.
During his statement in the Russian city of Kazan, he refused Putin These criticisms, referring to the ratification of the strategic partnership agreement with North Korea.
Putin explained: “We never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously, and what we will do and how we will do it within the framework of this article (of the agreement) is our business.”
The Russian President added that the West has long been doing more than just providing Kiev with weapons and satellite information, and that Western countries are also deploying trainers and officers in Ukraine to support the armed forces there.
South Korean anger
Speaking during a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, South Korean President Yeon Suk-yeol described the deployment of North Korean forces in Russia as a “provocation that extends beyond… Korean Peninsula Europe and threatens global security.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jong-hyun described North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia as “mercenaries and cannon fodder,” according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Seoul did not rule out sending arms shipments to Ukraine, with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul saying that the South Korean government could not remain passive in response to North Korea’s apparent sending of troops to Russia to help in the fight against Ukraine.