Russia's right to develop more close relations with North Korea should not be questioned or a source of fear for anyone, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by "Reuters".
He pointed out that the potential for relations between the two countries is very deep.
His remarks came amid concerns in the West that Moscow may reconsider its policy towards Pyongyang due to Western pressure on it over the war in Ukraine. In particular, there are fears that Russia may transfer missile and nuclear technology to the DPRK.
"This is our neighbor, this is a friendly country with which we are developing bilateral relations. We will continue to do it in an upward direction," assured Peskov.
"The potential for the development of our relations is very deep. We believe that our right to develop good relations with our neighbors should not bother anyone and cannot and should not be challenged by anyone," he stressed.
On Monday it became clear that President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks.
Today, Peskov refused to specify a date or program for a possible visit.
Pyongyang and Moscow are increasingly strengthening diplomatic and security relations.
In September of last year, Kim traveled to Russia's Far East and visited the launch space center of the "Vostochny" cosmodrome, where Putin promised to help him build satellites.