Putin, the president of Russia, has started the process of ratifying the “Comprehensive Strategic Companion Relationship Treaty” signed with Kim Jong-un, the chairman of North Korea, in June. This treaty includes a provision that if one party is invaded, the other party will provide military support. In the midst of escalating tensions between North and South Korea due to North Korea’s claim that “South Korean drones infiltrated Pyongyang,” Russia has expressed agreement with North Korea’s claim of “clear infringement on North Korea’s sovereignty and interference in its internal affairs.”
According to reports from Russian media like Sputnik, President Putin submitted a bill for the ratification of the Comprehensive Strategic Companion Relationship Treaty to the State Duma (lower house of the Russian parliament) on the 14th local time. Putin and Chairman Kim held a summit in Pyongyang on June 19 and signed this agreement, which includes the provision that “in the event of one party being under armed aggression and entering a state of war, the other party will provide military assistance.”
The ratification of the treaty in Russia is carried out through the State Duma to bring the Comprehensive Strategic Companion Relationship Treaty into effect. According to Article 22 of the North Korea-Russia treaty, the treaty must be ratified, and it will take effect as of the day of exchange of ratification documents. Whether North Korea has ratified the treaty is not yet known.
On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a commentary endorsing North Korea’s claim that South Korea had used drones to infiltrate Pyongyang’s airspace to disseminate anti-North propaganda on the nights of the 3rd, 9th, and 10th. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, quoted North Korea’s claim in a statement on the 14th, stating that such actions constituted a “serious violation of North Korea’s sovereignty, undermining the legitimate state and political system of an independent country, and depriving them of the right to autonomous development.”
Furthermore, Zakharova urged South Korea to take North Korea’s warnings seriously and cease reckless provocations that could exacerbate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and potentially lead to an actual military incident. She emphasized that Russia would continue to play a constructive role in preventing a deepening crisis on the Korean Peninsula based on the Comprehensive Strategic Companion Relationship Treaty with North Korea.