Initially signed during his visit to Pyongyang in June, Putin submitted the treaty to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament last month. It was subsequently approved by the Federation Council, the upper house.
The military pact commits the two countries to come to each other's aid in the event of an armed attack.
It "provides for the immediate provision of military and other assistance if one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter," Russia's state-run news agency TASS reported.
It also added that the pact "is exclusively peaceful and defensive in nature, is not directed against third countries and does not threaten peace and stability."
The ratification would further intensify the deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang amid Russia's prolonged war in Ukraine, with the treaty expected to remain in effect indefinitely, as the Russian news agency said it "will have an unlimited duration."
Earlier in the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that North Korea has deployed about 11,000 troops to Russia, with a "significant" number of casualties during their first confrontations with Ukrainian forces in Kursk, a Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.
Russian authorities, however, have not officially confirmed whether North Korean troops have been deployed on its soil.
Meanwhile, Putin expressed his readiness to discuss the war in Ukraine with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, congratulating him on his election victory on Nov. 5.
Throughout his campaign, Trump repeatedly said he could end the war "in 24 hours," although he has not elaborated on how he would make that happen.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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