China’s Xi, North Korea’s Kim vow to deepen ties with Putin’s Russia

China's President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have vowed to deepen and further strengthen bilateral ties with Russia.

The two leaders expressed their willingness in their separate New Year messages to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to statements released in Beijing and Pyongyang on Tuesday.

Xi said he was "ready to maintain close exchanges" with Putin and maintain the general direction of China-Russia cooperation, "so as to continue consolidating and deepening China-Russia ties."

This, he added, would "feature permanent good-neighborly friendship, comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation."

Xi noted the two sides "always move forward hand in hand along the right path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party."

"The political mutual trust and strategic coordination between the two sides have continuously marched to a higher level under the strategic guidance of the two leaders," said the 71-year-old Chinese leader, according to Chinese state media.

Kim, the North Korean leader, called the developing bilateral ties with Russia during the outgoing year a "meaningful journey."

The traditional Pyongyang-Moscow "friendly relations" developed into "strategic cooperative and strong relations of a new high," said Kim in his message to Putin sent on Monday, according to North Korean state media.

Kim and Putin met twice in the outgoing year during which the two signed comprehensive a strategic partnership deal that requires either side to extend military support in case of an attack by a third party.

Expressing his willingness to "design and push ahead with new projects for accomplishing the cause of building powerful nation in the two countries," Kim vowed to "further strengthen" the bilateral ties.

Kim said he hoped the new year "will be recorded as the first year of war victory in the 21st century when the Russian army and people defeat neo-Nazism and achieve a great victory."

Russia has been at war with Ukraine since February 2022 and South Korea, the US and NATO have claimed that Pyongyang transported thousands of troops to the combat field to fight for Russia.

Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have either confirmed or denied such claims.