Russian MPs ratified today the military cooperation pact with North Korea at a time when the United States confirmed the deployment of 3,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia, reported France Press and Associated Press, quoted by BTA.
A total of 397 deputies of the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) voted in favor of the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty, which Russian President Vladimir Putin signed during his visit to Pyongyang in June. The upper house of parliament is also expected to ratify the document soon, the vote is scheduled for November 6.
The pact obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide each other with military assistance using "all means" in the event that either side is attacked. This is the strongest bond between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War, AP notes.
The West believes that this creates a danger of a major escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has been going on for 32 months, AFP notes. Kiev's forces control an area of several hundred square kilometers of Russia's Kursk region.
The treaty, ratified today by the lower house of the Russian parliament, was signed on June 19 during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang, showing the degree of rapprochement between the two countries.
The United States said yesterday that 3,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia and are being trained at several locations in the country. They said it was a very serious move and warned that if these forces were involved in fighting in Ukraine, they would be a legitimate target.
Russia and North Korea have previously rejected claims by the US and its allies that Pyongyang is sending ballistic missiles to Moscow as well as millions of artillery shells for use in Ukraine.
In June, Putin was asked whether North Korean soldiers would fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine under the agreement. He replied that there was no need for it, but also announced that for the first time Russia would have the opportunity to send weapons to Pyongyang.
In return for military support, observers say, Moscow may provide advanced weapons technology to Pyongyang to help develop ballistic missile and satellite capabilities.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned today that his country will not "stand idly by" in the case of sending North Korean soldiers to Russia. He added that Seoul would approach "with more flexibility" to the possibility of sending weapons to Ukraine, "depending on the actions of North Korean forces".
The treaty also calls for the creation of a "multipolar international system" - a formula used by Moscow to oppose what it calls "hegemony" of the US - and envisions "efforts to increase trade" and "minimizing the impact" of the economic sanctions that can be introduced by third countries, notes AFP.
The Duma vote took place on the closing day in Kazan, Russia, of the BRICS summit, a group of nine countries sometimes called the “Global South” that are home to nearly half the world's population and produce almost one third of world GDP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin tried, through a series of bilateral meetings, to demonstrate the failure of the policy of diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions against his country.