Russia and North Korea sign strategic partnership, vowing closer ties in face of rivalry with West

Seoul, South Korea:Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership during a summit i...

Seoul, South Korea: Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership during a summit in Pyongyang, in a bid to expand their economic and military cooperation and cement a united front against Washington.

Putin’s visit comes amid growing concerns over an arms arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with badly needed munitions for Moscow’s war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.

Russian state media said Putin and Kim spoke face-to-face for about two hours in a meeting that was originally planned for one hour.

Speaking before the summit, Putin thanked Kim for North Korea's support in Ukraine and said the two countries would sign an agreement to boost their partnership as both "fight against the imperialist hegemonistic policies of the U.S. and its satellites against the Russian Federation.”

North Korea is under heavy U.N. Security Council sanctions over its weapons program, while Russia also faces sanctions by the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.