The treaty, approved on October 24 after originally being agreed to by President Vladimir Putin and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Pyonyang in June, brings cooperation between the two countries to a higher level, including a line stating that if one side is attacked and finds itself in a state of war, the other must “immediately provide military and other assistance with all means at its disposal.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III described the use of North Korean troops by Russia to fight in Ukraine as a “very, very serious” situation.