Putin in North Korea
(Photo : GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Image)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (C) attend a Gala concert in Pyongyang, on June 19, 2024

Russia and North Korea have a new partnership and are promising to come to each other's defense if either country is attacked.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un.

The extent of the new deal was not immediately released but appears to strengthen ties between the two isolated countries.

Russia is facing sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine while North Korea has faced isolation for its nuclear program.

Both leaders described the pact as a strengthening of their relations, covering security, trade, investment and cultural and humanitarian ties, according to the Associated Press.

North Korea has been providing Russia with weapons in exchange for economic assistance and technology.

"The comprehensive partnership agreement signed today provides, among other things, for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement," said Putin.

It is his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, Reuters reported.