The upper house of Russia’s parliament has ratified a landmark mutual defence pact with North Korea as top Ukrainian officials report clashes with Pyongyang’s soldiers on the front lines.
Lawmakers in the Federation Council of Russia, which acts as a senate, approved the bill on ratification of the Treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships between the two countries on Wednesday, state media reported.
The treaty was signed in Pyongyang on June 19 during a lavish state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is deepening ties with North Korea as the war with Ukraine approaches its third anniversary.
The unanimous vote in the upper house formalises months of increasing security cooperation between the two nations, the largest since the time they were Communist allies during the Cold War.
Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, had ratified the legislation on October 24.
The pact obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance using “all means” …