Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on Tuesday to take trade and security ties with North Korea to a “higher level”. He thanked Pyongyang for its support in Moscow’s war in Ukraine, ahead of his first visit to the North in 24 years.
In a letter published ahead of his arrival in North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun, Putin said Moscow had yesterday supported Pyongyang against a “cunning, dangerous and aggressive enemy … and will always support them in the future.”
“We firmly believe that with our joint efforts we will take bilateral cooperation to a higher level and this will contribute to the development of reciprocal and equal cooperation between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, thereby strengthening our sovereignty (and) deepening economic and trade ties,” Putin said, using the abbreviation for the North’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
