North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to solidify his country's comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in a letter to President Vladimir Putin, state media outlet KCNA reported on Tuesday.
In the message on Monday, Kim sent New Year greetings to Putin and all Russians, including soldiers, and expressed his willingness to further step up bilateral ties, which he said the two leaders have elevated to new heights this year, KCNA said.
Kim "wished that the New Year 2025 would be recorded as the first year of victory in the 21st century when the Russian army and people would defeat neo-Nazism and achieve a great victory," KCNA said.
Kim and Putin signed a mutual defense treaty at a summit in June, calling for each side to come to the other’s aid in case of an armed attack.
North Korea has since dispatched tens of thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. Seoul and Washington have said that more than a thousand of them have been killed or wounded.
