Last updated at 5:15 p.m. KST with the announcement of agreement signing, at 5:54 p.m. with additional background and context, at 7 p.m. with mutual defense deal and at 9:14 p.m. with expert comments.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty in Pyongyang on Wednesday that outlines commitments for mutual defense, as the two countries expand military cooperation over the war in Ukraine.

Putin said the new Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership envisages the “provision of assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties to the document,” according