Tough international sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine have led Moscow to turn to Pyongyang for military supplies and other help.View on euronews

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a birthday message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him his "closest comrade". Kim, congratulating Putin on his 72nd birthday, added that relations between both countries would be raised to a new level.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un toasted his “closest comrade” Vladimir Putin on Monday in a birthday message that claimed the countries’ deepening military alliance would make them “invincible”. The increasingly isolated Russian president turned 72 on Monday and received well-wishes from a small group of international backers,

North Korean soldiers are reported to have been killed fighting alongside Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, with the secretive state a supporter of Vladimir Putin's invasion