Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang, North Korea for the first time in 24 years to strike a new treaty that provides mutual defense assistance for both countries.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the two countries have grown closer, emphasizing their need for mutual assistance in case of aggression against one of their signatories.

North Korea previously had an alliance treaty with the former Soviet Union that stipulated automatic involvement in case of attack.

The automatic treaty was replaced by a lower-level treaty after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Now, in 2024, a growing alignment of power is accelerating, sending warning signals to western allies like the United States and South Korea.

On Wednesday, Putin called the new treaty a ‘ground-breaking document’ and stated that this treaty, “sets large-scale tasks and benchmarks for deepening Russian-Korean relations in the long term.”

Last November, South Korean Intelligence Agencies warned lawmakers in the US that North Korea had already begun providing Russia with millions of artillery shells and other weapons for use in Ukraine. In exchange, North Korea received food, energy, and military technologies.

The details of the treaty signed in North Korea’s capital on Wednesday are not publicized, but Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin stressed that this strategic pact was ‘defensive in nature.’

In Washington, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg responded to the treaty saying that Russia’s war is “propped up” by countries like North Korea and China.

Stoltenberg went on to say that “If (Russia) succeed in Ukraine, it will make us more vulnerable and the world more dangerous.”

Despite having no clear vision from our leaders in Washington on what victory looks like in Ukraine and billions of tax-payer dollars spent on Ukraine’s sovereignty, American’s only receive de facto responses like General Stoltenberg’s in the quote above.

After Putin and Kim’s new treaty was signed, South Korea responded by threating to send arms to Ukraine, signaling a major policy shift which would result in further escalation.