Russian lawmakers ratify pact with North Korea as US confirms Pyongyang has sent troops to Russia

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved a pact with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance, a move that comes as the US confirmed the deployment of 3,000 North Korean troops to Russia.

The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, quickly voted in favor of the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty that Russian President Vladimir Putin made an agreement with North Korean leader King Jong Un visit to Pyongyang in June. It is expected that the Senate will soon follow.

The pact obliges Russia and North Korea to provide immediate military assistance by “all means” if either is attacked. It marked the strongest ties between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.

The US said On Wednesday, it was reported that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training in various locations. They call the move very serious and warn that these forces will be “fair game” if they enter battle in Ukraine.

Asked at a news conference during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, whether there were North Korean troops in his country, Putin noted that lawmakers had ratified the “strategic partnership” with Pyongyang.

“We have never doubted that North Korean leaders take our agreements seriously. What and how we will do within the framework of this article (of the agreement) is our business,” he said.

Russia and North Korea previously rejected claims by the US and its allies that Pyongyang gave Moscow ballistic missiles and millions of artillery shells for use in Ukraine.

When asked in June whether North Korean troops could fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine under the pact, Putin said that was not necessary, but also announced for the first time that Russia could supply weapons to Pyongyang.

Observers said that in return for military support, Moscow could share advanced weapons technologies with Pyongyang to help improve its ballistic missile and satellite capabilities.