North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a birthday message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, making outlandish claims about the deepening military alliance between their countries. Calling Putin his “closest comrade”, Kim Jong-un proclaimed that their alliance would make them “invincible”.
Putin, who turned 72, also received birthday wishes from other international figures like Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov. In his message, Kim Jong-un expressed his nostalgia for the days when they developed the relations between their countries into an “invincible alliance” and “eternal strategic relations”.
Referring to North Korea as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kim mentioned their meeting in June where they declared their commitment to independence and justice. He stated that Pyongyang would always support Moscow and toasted to Putin’s good health.
Despite celebrating his birthday quietly in Moscow, public celebrations ensued in Moscow for Putin, who has been in power for nearly a quarter of a century. Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin was among the first to wish Putin, “God save the Tsar!”
The relationship between Putin and Kim Jong-un seems to have strengthened since Putin’s visit to North Korea in June. The two leaders exchanged gifts, with Kim gifting a pair of Pungsan hunting dogs to Putin. They also signed an agreement for mutual defence in case of aggression against either nation.
Putin linked Russia’s growing ties with North Korea to Western support for Ukraine and hinted at potential military and technical cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. The two leaders’ camaraderie and shared strategic interests indicate a deepening bond between the two nations.