North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un recently sent a celebratory message to Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday, marking the latter’s birthday. In the letter published in North Korean state media, Kim referred to Putin as his “closest comrade,” praising the “eternal foundation” of Russia and North Korea’s relationship. The warm tone of the message contrasted sharply with a separate letter Kim sent to Chinese communist dictator Xi Jinping on Sunday, which commemorated the anniversary of China’s fall to communism but omitted any personal praise for Xi.
Historically, China has been North Korea’s closest ally and fellow warring party in the still-ongoing Korean War. However, Putin has endeavored to bring Pyongyang closer into Russia’s orbit over the past year, going as far as signing a mutual defense treaty with Kim in June. In recent months, there have been rumors that North Korea was providing material aid to Russia in its ongoing colonization campaign against Ukraine.
In his message to Putin, Kim expressed hope in the deepening of ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. He also recalled their meeting in June when they signed the mutual defense treaty, calling their current relationship an “invincible alliance relations” and “eternal strategic relations.” Additionally, Kim reaffirmed North Korea’s full support for Russia in its ongoing invasion and colonization of Ukraine, seemingly referring to it as a “just cause.
The letter marked Putin’s birthday but also referenced the anniversary of diplomatic ties between North Korea and China. In a separate message to Xi Jinping on Sunday, Kim extended warm greetings to China and its people but focused more on their diplomatic relationship rather than personal ties between Xi and Kim. The South Korean news service Yonhap described Pyongyang and Beijing as “relatively estranged,” suggesting some tensions between the countries.
Despite North Korea’s longstanding support from China, recent events such as Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June appear to have elevated Russia to the status of North Korea’s closest partner. The mutual defense treaty signed by Kim and Putin restored their relations to Soviet-era commitments, with both Russian and North Korean propaganda outlets claiming they spent significant private time together during the visit. Following Putin’s trip to Pyongyang, North Korea switched transmission of its state television broadcasts from a Chinese satellite to a Russian one, indicating that Pyongyang’s improving ties to Moscow may be at China’s expense.