North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country will always stand with Moscow, state media reported on Thursday

In a message for Russia Day, a patriotic holiday celebrating Russia’s independence, Kim called Putin his “dearest comrade” and praised their bilateral relations as a “genuine relationship between comrades-in-arms,” KCNA reported.

“It is an unshakable will of the government of the DPRK and of my own steadfastly to carry on the DPRK-Russia relations,” Kim was quoted as saying.

The DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. KCNA reported on Wednesday that Kim had sent congratulations on Russia Day to Putin.

Earlier this year, Pyongyang for the first time confirmed that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un after months of silence.