Kim Jong-un: Friendship with Putin is now ‘forged in blood'
North Korea's relationship with Russia is now 'forged in blood', Kim Jong-un said on Thursday in a message to Vladimir Putin.
The dictator vowed to 'always stand' with Moscow, while snubbing any outreach from the United States, in comments reported by state media.
The message was addressed to the Russian president to commemorate Russia Day, which marks the country's declaration of sovereignty in 1990, just over a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Kim said it is an 'unshakeable will' of both his and his country to carry on relations with Russia, which 'have been sealed and verified in the face of all sorts of trials and challenges of history, to a heyday of comprehensive prosperity'.
He also acknowledged that the friendship between the two countries 'has been further cemented thanks to the militant comradeship the service personnel of the two countries have forged at the cost of their blood' in reference to the war in Ukraine.
In late April, Kim and Putin confirmed that North Korea had sent approximately 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces, along with 100 ballistic missiles and millions of munitions.
Both leaders put out statements at the time affirming the strong relations between the two countries, which only seem to be growing by the day, with both countries largely isolated by western sanctions.
In his latest address, Kim said the ties between Russia and North Korea have 'developed into an excellent model of indestructible, genuine relationship between comrades-in-arms and alliance'.
In exchange for the soldiers, Russia supplied North Korea with sophisticated defence equipment, including short-range air-defence systems and jamming equipment.
Experts suspect that Moscow is also offering Pyongyang support for its nuclear and drone programmes.
Kim also commented on the war in his message, telling Putin that Russia will 'surely emerge victorious'.
'Never been as strong'
Experts have said that relations between the two regimes have 'never been as strong'.
While he offered one of the more emphatic congratulations, Kim wasn't the only leader to send a celebratory message to Moscow today.
Despite a frostier tone from president Donald Trump towards Putin in recent weeks, his Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on Thursday morning also congratulating the Russian people.
He said: 'The United States remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future.'
Mr Rubio also reaffirmed the US' 'desire for constructive engagement with the Russian Federation to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine'.
The Trump administration has also recently been making overtures to the North Korean regime, though so far they seem to have been unsuccessful.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Wednesday that 'the president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un' and that Mr Trump would like to build on the 'progress' that he made during his first term.
In 2018, Mr Trump met with Kim in Singapore, in the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and leader of North Korea, but this time the efforts seem to be one-sided.
According to local outlet NK News, Mr Trump has once again written a letter for Kim that his aides have been trying to hand-deliver to North Korean diplomats at the United Nations in New York to no avail.
The president said in 2018 that the two leaders 'fell in love' by exchanging letters.
In April, Trump claimed the US was in 'communication' with North Korea and said his administration would 'probably do something at some point.'
However, for now it looks like the isolated regime has its fill with its close ties to Russia.
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