North Korean military trainers led by the head of a respected military academy in Pyongyang have embarked on a trip to Russia.
According to the Reuters news agency, the visit by the delegation of North Korean military trainers to Russia marks the first military exchange between Moscow and Pyongyang since a sweeping military treaty was signed last month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in June to hold bilateral talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, where they signed a partnership agreement. The agreement states that the "other party shall provide military and other assistance without delay by all means at its disposal."
The two leaders held talks before signing the treaty, which pledged to provide military aid to one another if either is attacked.
The move comes amid growing global instability and is a significant development marking the strengthening of military ties between North Korea and Russia.
The North Korean military delegation is led by the president of the Kim Il Sung Military University, Kim Geum Chol, according to North Korean state media, without providing any additional information about the visit.
This visit comes just weeks after the signing of a new partnership agreement between the two nations, highlighting the evolving geopolitical dynamics in the region. Pyongyang has long been supplying Moscow with weapons for use against Ukraine.
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol described the cooperation between Russia and North Korea as a "distinct threat and a grave challenge to the peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in Europe."
French President Emmanuel Macron recently proposed sending military instructors to Ukraine from a collation of Western allies. President Joe Biden is said to be against Macron's proposal.
Ukanian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that he had already signed documents "that will allow the first French instructors to visit training centers soon."
It comes as a historic NATO summit is set to begin in Washington after a barrage of Russian missiles hit cities across Ukraine and killed scores of people.
The summit, which will mark the 75th anniversary of the Western alliance, is set to commence in Washington DC on Tuesday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin during a state visit to Russia that the death of innocent children was painful and terrifying.
"Whether it is war, conflict or a terrorist attack, any person who believes in humanity, is pained when there is loss of lives," Modi said.
"But even in that, when innocent children are killed, the heart bleeds, and that pain is very terrifying", he added.
Peter Stano, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy told Newsweek: "Russia is becoming increasingly cruel in its attacks against civilians across Ukraine.
Only yesterday, Russia conducted several waves of large-scale attacks on several Ukrainian cities, which caused a large number of civilian casualties, with dozens killed and many more injured. Okhmatdyt, the largest children's hospital in Ukraine, was directly hit by a missile. A maternity hospital was later damaged too."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Billal Rahman is a Live News reporter based in London, U.K. He specializes in foreign affairs and U.S. politics. He ... Read more
