International

Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin sign a “strategic association” agreement that includes a mutual defense clause

The leaders of North Korea and Russia, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin, signed today Wednesday a “Comprehensique Strategic Partnership Agreement” that includes a mutual defense clause, according to the Russian president after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The document signed between the two leaders contemplates “assistance in the event that one of the two countries is attacked,” Putin said in statements collected by the Russian agency Tass.

The Russian president also pointed out that “security issues and the international agenda” occupied a significant part of the agenda of the negotiations with the North Korean dictator.

The Kremlin president thus revealed part of the content of the new road map that will strub bilateral relations between the two countries, which have been strengthened as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in the face of pressure on Pyongyang and Moscow by Washington and its allies.

In this sense, Putin stated that both Russia and North Korea “oppose the use of sanctions for political purposes, which only serve to undermine the international situation.”

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In addition, he called for “reviewing the United Nations Council’s sanctions regime on North Korea” promoted by the United States.

“Our countries consistently defend the establishment of a more just, democratic and multipolar world order. Russia and North Korea develop an autonomous and independent foreign policy and do not accept the language of blackmail and dictation,” the Russian president said.

“Despite external pressure, our countries develop successfully on a sovereign and independent basis, they have provided and provide mutual support as true friends and good neighbors,” he added.

Putin’s adviser on international policy, Yuri Ushakov, already said on the eve that this new treaty will replace those signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in 1961, 2000 and 2001.

Before that meeting, Putin and Kim Jong-un held an extended summit of about 90 minutes at the Kumsusan guest residence in Pyongyang, where Putin is visiting for the first time in 24 years.

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It was in that scenario that the Russian president thanked the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, for his “unwavering support” to the invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia appreciates the constant and unshakable support of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (official name of North Korea) for Russian policies, including what concerns Ukraine,” Putin said.

He also said that Moscow “is fighting against decades of imperialist policies imposed by the United States,” and stressed that the relationship between Russia and North Korea “is based on mutual equality and respect,” according to the intervention collected by TASS.

In addition, Putin invited Kim to travel to Moscow for the next summit between the two countries, and expressed his “admiration” for the “transformation” experienced by the North Korean capital during the last 24 years.

“The government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (official name of North Korea) values the important mission and the role of a strong Russian Federation in maintaining strategic stability and balance in the world,” said Kim, quoted by the RIA Nóvosti agency.

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The North Korean leader also expressed “full support and solidarity with the Russian Government, army and people regarding the execution of the special military operation in Ukraine to protect their sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity.”

Kim added that the global situation is changing rapidly and that in that context Pyongyang intends to strengthen its strategic ties with Moscow.

After the opening comments, the rest of the summit, which lasted a total of around 90 minutes, was held behind closed doors.

The meeting between the two leaders began after a welcome ceremony for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Kim Il-Sung Square of Pyongyang, the scene of the main parades and celebrations of the North Korean regime.

The RIA Nóvosti agency published a photo of the square full of people and decorated with balloons.

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After the ceremony and the taking of photographs, both leaders went to the Kumsusan Guest Palace, where the Russian president is staying, to start their first meeting.

Today’s agenda also includes a gala concert in honor of Putin, a state reception and a floral offering by the Russian president at the Pyongyang Liberation Monument, dedicated to the Soviet Red Army soldiers who fought with Japanese imperial forces on the Korean peninsula during World War II.

Many analysts believe that Putin’s trip, which he plans to fly to Vietnam today for a two-day visit, can serve to deepen military ties after the agreement in this area that he and Kim signed at a summit last year in the Russian region of Amur.

According to South Korea and the Western powers, Pyongyang has transferred to Moscow in the last year thousands of containers with weapons – which would contain millions of projectiles for artillery parts and missile shuttles – that the Russian army has used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

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Related Topics:Korea del Norte Rusia Vladimir Putin

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.