North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to "hold hands" with Russian President Vladimir Putin and strengthen strategic cooperation to create a powerful nation.
Kim Jong Un made the promise in a message to Putin commemorating Russia's National Day, in which he defended Putin's decision to invade Ukraine and expressed "complete support and solidarity."
Kim Jong Un Pledges Full Support to Putin
According to NBC News, Kim Jong Un asserted, "Justice will undoubtedly triumph, and the Russian people will continue to contribute grandeur to the annals of victory."
The North Korean leader called for "closer strategic cooperation" with Moscow, "holding hands resolutely with the Russian president in accordance with the yearning of the peoples of the two countries to realize the grand objective of building a powerful nation," the statement added.
North Korea has sought closer ties with the Kremlin and supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, citing the "hegemonic policy" and "arrogance" of the United States and Western nations.
Per The Hill, his remarks on Russia's National Day, commemorating the anniversary of Russian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, come as Moscow continues its conflict with Ukraine.
Kim stated in his message that the "Russian people will continue to contribute glory to the annals of victory" and that he is "willing to endeavor for closer strategic cooperation" between the two countries.
Putin has previously pledged to strengthen relations with North Korea despite international tensions. The long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. This past weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that "counteroffensive, defensive actions" are ongoing for the first time.
Pyongyang has been accused of supplying Russia with weapons while continuing to develop its arsenal of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons despite years of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member.
Russia appears to have turned to North Korea and other "rogue" nations to circumvent sanctions and export controls to obtain the armaments it needs to continue its 16-month conflict against Ukraine.
Kim, who met Putin for the first time in 2019, called for "closer strategic cooperation" between Pyongyang and Moscow, adding that he would "firmly grasp hands" with the Russian leader in their shared goal of building a "powerful country," as reported by KCNA.
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Russia-North Korea Ties
North Korea's attempts to move closer to the Kremlin while accusing the United States and its allies of the Ukrainian conflict have sparked international concern, as per the Guardian.
In violation of security council sanctions, the United States reported in March that Russia was sending a delegation to North Korea to offer food in exchange for armaments amid reports of food scarcity.
Putin has responded to Kim's overtures by requesting closer relations. In a letter exchange last August commemorating the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, Putin stated that Russia and North Korea would "continue to expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations" to bolster the security and stability of the Korean peninsula and northeast Asia.
North Korea acknowledged two Russian-backed breakaway "people's republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent states in July 2022, with officials proposing sending North Korean laborers to assist in construction and other sectors. North Korea and Syria are the only nations to recognize Russian annexations.
