North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia's 81st Victory Day on 9 May 2025, reaffirming Pyongyang's commitment to deepening its alliance with Moscow, according to North Korea's state media outlet Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

What Kim Said

Kim extended his "sincerest congratulations" to Putin and expressed satisfaction with what he described as the "brilliant history of independence, dignity, peace and prosperity" shared by the two nations. In his message, Kim stated: "Reaffirming the stand of the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to give top priority to and steadily develop the alliance-like comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries, I affirm once again that we will always faithfully fulfil the obligations under the inter-state treaty between the DPRK and Russia."

Background: The 2024 Strategic Partnership Treaty

The message comes against the backdrop of a landmark "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty signed by Kim and Putin in June 2024, which effectively revived the two countries' Cold War-era military alliance. Following that agreement, Pyongyang reportedly deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine, and bilateral cooperation has deepened across multiple fronts. This is the most significant military alignment between the two states since the Soviet era.

Russia-North Korea Military Cooperation Talks

The congratulatory message follows a high-level military meeting held on 26 April 2025, when Kim Jong-un and Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov held talks in Pyongyang. According to Russian state-owned news agency TASS, the two sides discussed the current state and future prospects of military cooperation. Belousov said: "We agreed with the DPRK Ministry of Defence to transition military cooperation to a sustainable, long-term basis. We are ready to sign a Russian-Korean Military Cooperation Plan for the period 2027–2031 this year."

Belousov also noted that Russian-Korean interstate relations "are at an unprecedentedly high level" and expressed appreciation for Kim's decision to invite a Russian military delegation to the opening of a museum and memorial complex in North Korea, calling it "a great honour and privilege."

What This Means Going Forward

The Victory Day message, combined with the recently held defence talks and the looming 2027–2031 military cooperation plan, signals that the Russia-North Korea axis is moving well beyond symbolic diplomacy. Notably, this deepening partnership has drawn sharp concern from South Korea, the United States, and NATO allies, who have accused Pyongyang of supplying artillery shells and missiles to Moscow in violation of United Nations sanctions. With a formal long-term military cooperation roadmap in the works, the bilateral relationship looks set to become an enduring structural feature of the conflict in Ukraine.