North Korean leader Kim calls ties with Russia top priority

SEOUL- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday reaffirmed his country's commitment to its mutual defense treaty with Russia, in a message to President Vladimir Putin congratulating Russia on the anniversary of the ​defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Kim reiterated North Korea's position to "give top priority" to its partnership with Russia and its commitment to "the implementation of the obligations of the inter-state treaty," according to KCNA.

Russia and North Korea in 2024 ‌signed a "Comprehensive ⁠Strategic Partnership Treaty" during a visit to Pyongyang by Putin. The pact includes a mutual defense provision.

North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 troops to fight with Russian forces in Kursk during the ongoing war in Ukraine. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials said those troops suffered heavy casualties, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed in the fighting.

On Saturday, Russia holds its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years due to the threat of attack from Ukraine, where victory for Moscow's forces has proven elusive more than four years in to the deadliest European conflict since World War Two.

Russia and Ukraine confirmed on Friday that they had agreed to a three-day ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, which will run from May 9 to May 11.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul; Editing by Matthew Lewis)