Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a mutual defense pact in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. This agreement obligates both nations to assist each other if either is attacked.
The pact was finalized after extensive talks and marks Putin's second summit with Kim in nine months. The agreement elevates the relationship between Russia and North Korea, with Kim calling it the "strongest ever treaty" between the two nations and describing it as a step towards creating a "new multipolar world."
Putin's visit to North Korea, his first in 24 years, included formal ceremonies and exchanges of gifts between the leaders. The pact has triggered concern in the West regarding the deepening military and economic ties between the two countries, potentially impacting the situation in Ukraine and increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula.
In a related development, German internal security agency BfV reported that Russia is hiring spies in Germany, offering substantial payments following the expulsion of around 600 Russian diplomats from Europe after the invasion of Ukraine. The agency's report and influential statements emphasize Russia's attempts to rebuild its espionage operations disrupted by these expulsions.