North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his “invariable support” for Moscow in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling the ongoing war in Ukraine “sacred,” state media reported on Tuesday.
The letter is the latest show of support from Pyongyang, which has become a key ally of the Kremlin during its war against Ukraine, sending troops to support the effort.
“Firmly convincing the victory of the Russian Federation in the present sacred war for defending the security interests of the country and international justice, I promise my invariable support to dear friend you and the fraternal Russian people. The will of mine and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is firm without doubt to expand and deepen the joint work with the Russian Federation in a comprehensive way,” Kim said in the letter.
The letter comes amid speculation that Pyongyang is poised to send more troops to Russia. Kyiv has said that up to 50,000 North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia, although it has provided no evidence to support the claim or a timeframe for any deployment. Thousands of North Korean troops have reportedly been killed since Pyongyang began deploying forces to support Russia.
Kim’s pledge underscores how North Korea’s relationship with Russia has evolved from diplomatic alignment into a military partnership with consequences beyond the war in Ukraine. Pyongyang has gained an opportunity to deepen military cooperation with a major nuclear power while giving Moscow access to additional manpower and materiel for a prolonged conflict. Any further North Korean troop deployment would deepen that interdependence and could provide Pyongyang with valuable battlefield experience, potentially strengthening capabilities relevant to a future confrontation on the Korean Peninsula. The partnership also complicates Western efforts to isolate both countries, demonstrating how geopolitical rivals of the United States are increasingly able to reinforce one another across separate regional conflicts. (AFP+EIR)
