North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was “holding hands firmly” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the latest sign of the deepening ties between the two countries as Moscow has faced isolation from much of the West.

In a message sent to Putin for Russia’s national day on Monday, North Korea’s 39-year-old dictator said the countries’ close relationship had “weathered all trials of history” for generations, according to a state media report. He offered Pyongyang’s “full support and solidarity” to Moscow. …

“Justice is sure to win and the Russian people will continue to add glory to the history of victory, the tradition peculiar to them,” Kim said in his message, according to state media.