Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, sent a New Year's message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, reaffirming their close alliance and describing their military cooperation as a "life-and-death" bond amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
On 27 Dec 2025 GMT+7, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong Un sent New Year's greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that the relationship between the two countries is a "precious shared asset" that should be passed on to future generations.
Kim said that the past year was highly significant, during which North Korea and Russia jointly wrote a great history of alliance through full mutual support, praising the close cooperation in both political and military fields.
The North Korean leader further stated that the relationship between the two countries has evolved into their most sincere alliance, united by blood, life, and death on the same battlefield. He referred to North Korea's deployment of approximately 15,000 troops to support Russia's operations in the Ukraine war since last year, attracting global attention to the strength of this alliance.
Earlier, President Putin sent New Year's greetings to Kim Jong Un on 18 Dec. The two countries have increased military cooperation since signing the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty during the summit in Pyongyang in June 2024.
Source: Yonhap