Kim Jong Un announces North Korea’s unwavering support for Russia as the war with Ukraine continues.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed that his country will always support Russia, and complimented his counterpart in a letter published by state media on Wednesday.

Ties between the two countries have deepened since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with Pyongyang dispatching ground troops and weapons systems to aid Russia’s war effort.

Analysts say the assistance has been provided in exchange for Russia’s provision of food and weapons technology.

“I express my sincere thanks to you for sending warm and sincere congratulations first on my reassumption of the heavy duty as President of the State Affairs,” Kim said in the message on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

North Korea’s rubber-stamp legislature reappointed Kim this week as head of the authoritarian nation’s highest policymaking and governing body.

“Today, the DPRK and Russia are closely cooperating to defend the sovereignty of the two countries,” Kim said, using the initials of the North’s official name.

“Pyongyang will always be with Moscow. This is our choice and unshakable will,” he added.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have estimated that Kim has sent thousands of soldiers to Russia, primarily to the Kursk region, along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.

According to South Korean estimates, around 2,000 troops have been killed, and thousands more have been wounded.

Recall that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un struck a military agreement during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June 2024, committing both countries to provide military assistance “without delay” if either is attacked.

Kim’s letter follows reports by Belarusian state media that President Alexander Lukashenko is set to visit North Korea on a two-day trip starting Wednesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Both countries have backed Russia in its war on Ukraine and are widely seen as adversaries of the West.