What did Kim Jong-un say to Vladimir Putin about North Korea-Russia ties?

Kim said North Korea was ready to expand and deepen joint work with Russia in a comprehensive way. He described the relationship as based on friendship, good neighborliness and mutual aids, and thanked Putin for his congratulatory message.

What agreement underpins the current North Korea-Russia relationship?

North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during Putin’s state visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. The treaty says both sides must provide military assistance without delay if either is attacked, and Pyongyang has already sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to Russia.

N. Korea's Kim vows to deepen ties with Russia in reply to Putin

Q: Why did Kim Jong-un mention support for Russia in his message?

The message came amid stronger military and economic ties between the two countries. Kim said the two sides were writing a new biography of the great history of alliance in the face of an uneven historical storm, and he pledged unwavering support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

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Summary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to expand and deepen joint work with Russia in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media reported Tuesday. Kim thanked Putin for his congratulatory message on North Korea’s 78th founding anniversary on Sept. 9. He also pledged unwavering support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, amid strengthening military and economic ties.

Key Facts

Kim said North Korea remained firm in its will to expand and deepen joint work with the Russian Federation in a comprehensive way based on friendship, good neighborliness and mutual aids.
He did not specify what joint work meant, but the message appeared to point to deeper military and economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
The message said the two countries were writing a new biography of the great history of alliance in the face of an uneven historical storm.
North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during Putin’s state visit to Pyongyang in June 2024.
The treaty calls for providing military assistance without delay if either side comes under attack.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 15, 2026 9:12 am KST

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of their talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Sept. 3, 2025. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to expand and deepen "joint work" with Moscow in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media reported Tuesday, amid the two nation's strengthening military and economic ties.

Kim expressed his "deep" thanks to Putin in a reply to the Russian president's recent congratulatory message marking North Korea's 78th founding anniversary that fell on Sept. 9, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korea's will remains "firm without doubt to expand and deepen the joint work with the Russian Federation in a comprehensive way ... based on the tradition of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual aids and the firm relations of alliance between the two countries," the letter showed.

He did not specify what the "joint work" meant, but it appeared to point to deepening military and economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

The North's leader said the two countries were continuously "writing a new biography of the great history of alliance" in the face of an "uneven historical storm" and promised unwavering support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the KCNA showed.

North Korea and Russia signed the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during Putin's state visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. The treaty calls for providing military assistance "without delay" if either side comes under attack.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to Russia to help support its war against Ukraine.

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