The United States and its satellites openly state that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and are doing everything to prolong the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's leader Vladimir Putin said.
"The US and its satellites openly state that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. They are doing everything to prolong and further ignite the conflict in Ukraine, which they themselves provoked by supporting and organizing the armed coup d'etat in Kiev in 2014 and then the war in Donbass. At the same time, all these years they have repeatedly rejected all our attempts to peacefully resolve the situation," Putin said in an article for the North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun.
The president also stated that Moscow highly values North Korea’s support in conducting the special military operation in Ukraine.
"We highly value the DPRK's [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] firm support in conducting the Russian special military operation in Ukraine," Putin said.
Putin will pay a state visit to North Korea on June 18-19, the Kremlin press service reported on Monday. Assistant to the Russian President for International Affairs, Yuri Ushakov, said that as a result of the trip, an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership between the countries could be signed. He clarified that the need to conclude such an agreement is due to the deep evolution of the situation in the world; the document will not be directed against other countries.