In Pyongyang, Russian and North Korean leaders have signed a broad strategic partnership agreement, as reported by TASS. Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to Vladimir Putin, clarified that the agreement covers various aspects including security issues. He mentioned that this new agreement will replace earlier treaties such as the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance from 1961, the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighbourliness from 2000, and the Moscow and Pyongyang Declarations of 2000-2001.

Talks between Putin and Kim Jong-un have begun in Pyongyang at the Kumsusan residence

Putin was greeted in the center of the North Korean capital by his huge portrait, a military parade and people with flowers and flags.

For his part, Kim Jong-un expressed support for Russia's… pic.twitter.com/q3kNfOElkn

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Amidst international concerns over Russia's aggression towards Ukraine and its reported ammunition shortages, Moscow has been observed violating several UN sanctions against North Korea, which were originally sanctioned by Russia itself. President Putin justified these actions by framing them as a response to what he termed decades of "hegemonic imperialist policy" by the US and its allies. Furthermore, Putin pledged support to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in his adversarial stance against the US.