In Birthday Letter To Putin, Kim Jong Un's "Invariable Support" Promise

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has written a birthday letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, pledging his "invariable support" for Russia. According to state media, Kim described Russia's war in Ukraine as a "sacred war of justice" and expressed his conviction that it would end in victory.

Kim also expressed his desire to deepen North Korea's strategic partnership with Russia, citing their "comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance". He noted that it was his "steadfast policy" to expand and develop joint work with Russia.

The letter comes amid strained relations between South Korea and Ukraine, with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky recently revealing that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to Seoul's custody. North Korea has become a key ally of Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with South Korea's spy agency estimating that around 2,000 to 6,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in the war.

Brief written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia, Free Malaysia Today, Kyiv Independent, The Korea Times, New Straits Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.