Russia and North Korea Agree on Long-Term Military Cooperation

Kathmandu. Russia's Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that an agreement has been reached for 'long-term' military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of soldiers, missiles, and war materials to support Russia's war in Ukraine. In return, analysts say North Korea is receiving economic aid, military technology, food, and energy from Russia.

The two countries signed a military treaty in 2024, which stipulated that both countries would be obligated to provide military assistance to each other 'without delay' in the event of an attack on either nation.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov stated, "We have agreed with the Ministry of Defense of North Korea to maintain our military cooperation continuously and in the long term."

He added, "We are ready to sign a plan for Russian-Korean military cooperation for the period from 2027 to 2031 this year."

Russian officials have gathered in Pyongyang for the inauguration ceremony of a memorial complex honoring those killed in Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Belousov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Defense Minister No Kwang Chol on Sunday, while Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliament, also met with North Korean leader Kim and thanked him for the role of the North Korean army in the Kursk war.

Pyongyang deployed troops to prevent Kyiv's forces from launching a months-long counteroffensive in Russia's western Kursk region. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Belousov presented military awards to North Korean soldiers who participated in the Kursk operation.

"Korean soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and officers and liberated Russian land from Ukrainian Nazis," Volodin said.

According to Seoul, approximately two thousand North Koreans have been killed in the war with Ukraine, and North Korean soldiers have been instructed to commit suicide rather than be captured.

Only two North Korean soldiers were captured alive and are currently in the custody of Ukrainian authorities.