(Bloomberg) – Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to provide immediate military assistance if any of them are attacked, reviving an agreement dating back to the Cold War, a move likely to unsettle the U.S. and its partners.
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The two leaders signed the deal on Wednesday during Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years. Kim called the pact “the most powerful treaty” signed between the two countries and one that elevates their ties to an alliance.
“If either Party is invaded by an individual State or States by armed force and encounters war, the other Party shall promptly and in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and the laws of North Korea and supply Russia with military weapons. and other assistance by all means at its disposal,” the treaty said, according to a text published Thursday by the official Korean Central News Agency.
After the signing ceremony, Kim said the deal is for defensive purposes but increases risks for the US and its partners in responding to provocations from Moscow and Pyongyang and is a symbol of their resistance to Western powers.
The pact, also called the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, also says Russia and North Korea have agreed to work together to strengthen their defense capabilities while expanding trade and investment cooperation.
Putin’s trip came after Kim traveled to Russia in September, which, as satellite images later showed, was followed by a boom in arms shipments. Putin last visited Pyongyang in 2000 as president of Russia. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the arms transfers, despite ample evidence showing they occurred.
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