Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. File Photo by Kremlin Press Office/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 27 (Asia Today) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised ties with Russia as the “most sincere alliance,” reaffirming his commitment to strengthen relations in a New Year message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean state media reported Friday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim addressed Putin as “my dear comrade” in the message sent Friday, saying relations between the two countries had become “the most sincere alliance, forged by sharing blood in the trenches and experiencing life and death together.”
“With the passing days of 2025, DPRK-Russia relations have been further solidified,” Kim said, adding that their strength had been “vividly engraved on the pages of the era and history.”
Kim asserted that “no one can break the relationship between the peoples of our two countries, nor the solidarity of our peoples,” and described 2025 as “a truly meaningful year” in which the two sides advanced their alliance through “mutual and complete support and selfless solidarity.”
He said the relationship was “a precious shared asset” that must be passed down to future generations.
The remarks were widely interpreted as a reference to North Korea’s troop deployment to support Russia in the Ukraine war, which Pyongyang has portrayed as having substantially strengthened bilateral ties even as international discussions continue over a possible end to the conflict.
Kim’s message was a response to a New Year greeting sent earlier by Putin, who thanked Pyongyang for its troop deployment to Russia’s Kursk region and said he was confident the two sides would continue constructive cooperation on regional and international issues.
North Korea and Russia have deepened cooperation across multiple fields since signing a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in June 2024. Last year, Pyongyang underscored the alliance by supporting Moscow’s efforts to regain control of the Kursk region.
Kim’s New Year message was published on the front page of Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party. Last year, North Korea also released the full text of New Year letters exchanged between Kim and Putin, while a New Year card from Chinese President Xi Jinping was only briefly mentioned alongside greetings from other leaders.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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