North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hailed Russia-DPRK ties in a message to his counterpart Vladimir Putin ahead of Russia’s parliamentary election, pledging unwavering support for Moscow in the Ukraine conflict, which he described as a “sacred war.”

Kim’s letter dated Monday responded to an earlier telegram in which Putin congratulated him on the DPRK’s 78th founding anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.

The North Korean leader said the two countries and their people are “writing a new biography of the great history of alliance” while jointly defending justice and peace amid historical turmoil, according to