Russia pledges to ‘expand’ ties with North Korea

Pyongyang says its relationship with Moscow has reached new heights

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poses with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia, in April 2019. (REUTERS)

Russia has said its relationship with North Korea will “expand” – with Moscow facing an international backlash to its invasion of Ukraine.

In a letter to Kim to mark the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945, the Russian president pledged to their “comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations”, according to North Korean state media.

The KCNA news agency said Kim responded to his Russian counterpart by saying the two countries were closer than ever.