(Bloomberg) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to provide immediate military assistance if one of their own was attacked, reviving an agreement that dates back to the Cold War in a move that could upset the US and its partners.
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The two leaders signed the agreement 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 which elevates their ties to an alliance.
“If either party is invaded by armed force by an individual state or states and faces war, the other party shall, without delay and in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and the laws of North Korea and the Russia, provide military forces and other assistance with all means at its disposal,” the treaty states, according to a text published Thursday by the official Korean Central News Agency.
After the signing ceremony, Kim said the agreement has 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 defiance against Western powers.
The pact, dubbed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, also states that Russia and North Korea have agreed to work together to bolster their defense capabilities while expanding cooperation in trade and investment.
Putin’s trip came after Kim traveled to Russia in September, which, as satellite images later showed, was followed by a massive rise in arms transfers. Putin last visited Pyongyang in 2000, as president of Russia. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the arms transfers despite ample evidence showing they took place.
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