SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea ratified a major defense treaty with Russia stipulating mutual military aid, the North’s state media reported Tuesday, as the U.S., South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a treaty on the country's strategic partnership with North Korea which includes a mutual defense provision, according to a decree published Saturday

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a landmark defense pact with North Korea, a deal that comes amid reports that Pyongyang has dispatched thousands of troops to fight against Ukraine.

The upper house of Russian parliament has ratified a treaty with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also signed the treaty into law, which stipulates that the two countries should 'immediately provide military and other assistance using all available means' if either side is in a state of war.

The accord, signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June after a summit in Pyongyang, calls on each side to come to the other's aid in case of an armed attack. Russia's upper house ratified the treaty this week,

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a landmark defense pact with North Korea amid reports Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to fight Ukraine.

North Korea has ratified a major defence treaty with Russia that promises mutual military aid between the two nations, the North's state media has reported. It comes as the US, South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

Russia had completed the ratification of the treaty last week after it was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June. It is considered both countries’ biggest defense deal since the end of the Cold War.

North Korea has ratified a mutual defence treaty with Russia signed by the two countries' leaders in June, which calls for each side to come to the other's aid in case of an armed attack, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

North Korea has ratified a landmark defence pact with Russia, state media reported Tuesday, sealing a deepening security cooperation between the two nations amid Moscow's war in Ukraine.