Russia and North Korea dropped a diplomatic bombshell last week when they signed the new Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, featuring a provision in Article 4 that effectively restores the formal military alliance between the two countries previously established under the 1961 Soviet-DPRK treaty.

In addition, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un made a number of promises during the summit about future cooperation between their countries, in areas ranging from defense development to science, medicine and trade.

In the days since, South Korea and Russia have exchanged threats and counterthreats about the possibility of arming Ukraine and North Korea, respectively.