Russia–North Korea Strategic Partnership Treaty Takes Effect, Moscow Says

The development follows a recent U.S. decision to let Kyiv use advanced missile systems to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after a signing ceremony following their bilateral talks at Kumsusan state residence in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024, in this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik. Kristina Kormilitsyna / Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang has officially come into effect, Russia’s foreign ministry has confirmed.

“On Dec. 4, an exchange of instruments of ratification of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty ... was held in Moscow,” the ministry said in a statement carried by Russia’s state-run TASS news agency on Dec. 5.