Kim Jong Un formally ratified North Korea’s mutual defense pact with Russia on Monday, days after Moscow did the same, in a move that could pave the way for the DPRK to more openly deploy troops for the Ukraine war.

The North Korean “head of state” signed a decree ratifying the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced on Tuesday, stating that the deal will take effect once the two sides exchange ratification documents.

Kim’s ratification follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s signingof the document into law two days earlier, after both houses of Russia’s