Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement Wednesday that pledges mutual aid if either country faces “aggression,” a strategic pact that comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West.
Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. Both leaders described it as a major upgrade of their relations, covering security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties.
The summit came as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years and the U.S. and its allies expressed growing concerns over a possible arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its 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.
俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京和朝鲜领导人金正恩周三签署了一项协议，承诺如果任何一方面临“侵略”，双方将相互援助。这一战略协议是在双方与西方的对峙不断升级之际达成的。
协议的细节目前尚不清楚，但它可能标志着莫斯科和平壤自冷战结束以来建立最紧密的联系。两位领导人都称这是双方关系的重大升级，涵盖安全、贸易、投资、文化和人道主义关系。
此次峰会正值普京 24 年来首次访问朝鲜之际，美国及其盟友对可能达成的一项武器协议表示日益担忧，即平壤向莫斯科提供其在乌克兰战争中急需的军火，以换取经济援助和技术转让。这可能会增强金正恩核武和导弹计划所构成的威胁。
