In response to Vladimir Putin's New Year's message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent his own greeting to the Russian president, calling their bilateral ties a 'precious common asset' forged through 'full mutual support' this year. The exchange underscores deepening alliance ties, including North Korea's troop support in Ukraine.
North Korea's state media reported on Saturday that leader Kim Jong-un sent a New Year's greeting to Russian President Vladimir Putin, reciprocating Putin's December 18 message.
Kim described this year as 'meaningful,' during which the two nations 'steadily wrote a great biography of the alliance' through 'full mutual support and selfless encouragement.' He stated: 'Today's DPRK-Russia alliance ... is a precious common asset to be carried forward forever not only in the present era but also by posterity generation after generation.'
Kim portrayed the relationship as the 'sincerest alliance of sharing blood, life and death in the same trench,' referencing North Korea's deployment of around 15,000 troops to aid Russia's war in Ukraine. 'Now no one can break the relations between the peoples of the two countries and their unity,' he added.
The rhetoric builds on the 'comprehensive strategic partnership' treaty signed during the Putin-Kim summit in Pyongyang in June 2024, amid growing military and diplomatic alignment raising international concerns.
