Donetsk self-proclaimed leader pledges ‘bilateral cooperation’ with North Korea

Russian-backed self-appointed leader writes Kim Jong-un a letter, shortly after Vladimir Putin said Moscow and Pyongyang would expand relations

North Korea and the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine will develop equally beneficial bilateral cooperation", its self-appointed leader has said in a letter to Kim Jong-un, according to state media.

Denis Pushilin made the pledge in a message congratulating Kim on the 15 August Korean liberation day, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported, two days after reporting a similar message from Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to Kim.