TEHRAN, Jun. 19 (MNA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a new pact Wednesday that includes a pledge of mutual defense if either is attacked.

The agreement was sealed at a summit in Pyongyang during a rare visit by Putin to the reclusive nuclear-armed state as both countries face growing confrontations with the West.

In a news conference after the summit, Putin said the agreement, which he called “a truly breakthrough document,” reflected the two countries’ shared desire to raise relations to a new level — covering security, trade, investment, and cultural and humanitarian ties.

The comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, both of which have been isolated by global sanctions, could expand transfers of military technology to Pyongyang in exchange for supplies of munitions that Moscow’s military needs for its war in Ukraine, the American NBC News  reported.

Kim, who has been accelerating weapons testing and stoking tensions with U.S. ally South Korea, on Wednesday promised his “full support” for what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, Western media reported.

MNA