Putin, Kim sign defence treaty

N Korea 'fully supports' Russia's war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed a mutual defence agreement with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, who offered his "full support" on Ukraine.

The pledge of military cooperation was part of a strategic treaty signed during a summit in Pyongyang, where Putin was making his first visit in 24 years.

"It is really a breakthrough document," Putin said at a press conference in the North Korean capital, adding it provided, "among other things, for mutual assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties to this treaty", Russian news agencies reported.

The two countries have been allies since North Korea's founding after World War II and have drawn even closer after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 isolated Putin on the global stage.