North Korea says the defense pact between Kim and Putin allows them to support each other with all available means if either nation attacks

CNN — (CNN) — North Korea and Russia have pledged to use all available means to provide immediate military support in the event of an attack on the other, according to the text of a new, landmark defense pact agreed to by the two autocratic nations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a new strategic partnership agreement in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Visiting the two allies as part of his rare state visit, the Russian president said the two allies had taken their relations to a “new level.”

North Korean state media released the full text of the pact on Thursday, which also includes political, trade, investment and security cooperation.

According to its wording, Article 4 states that should a country “enter into a state of war as a result of armed aggression”, the other country “shall immediately render military and other assistance using all the means at its disposal”.

The pact, which comes against the backdrop of Putin’s grueling war against Ukraine, is the most significant agreement signed by Russia and North Korea in decades and is seen as something of a revival of their Cold War-era mutual defense pledge. It also cements Kim’s strong ties to a world power that has veto power in the UN Security Council.

The newly published text raises several questions for Western observers, such as whether Russia’s powerful nuclear deterrent now extends to North Korea and vice versa, or whether the two countries will now hold joint military exercises.

Putin referred to the defense clause after his meeting with Kim on Wednesday, saying it provides for “the provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression against any of the parties to this agreement.”

Kim, meanwhile, described the new “alliance” as a “turning point in the development of bilateral relations.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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