Putin, Xi pledge to deepen ties, while urging other nations to drop sanctions against N. Korea

Russia and China have reportedly called on the international community to surrender sanctions and pressure on North Korea and to seek diplomacy in tackling tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji has more.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Moscow on Thursday local time, and signed a joint statement where they pledged to strengthen cooperation in all areas, including military ties.

During their talks in the Kremlin, the two leaders cast themselves as "defenders of a new world order no longer dominated by the U.S.," amid growing pressure from the West.

"Our common heroic past and combat brotherhood are a reliable foundation for the development and strengthening of Russian-Chinese relations. And these relations have reached the highest level in history."

The two sides also addressed global issues, including those on North Korea.

They called on other nations to drop sanctions against Pyongyang, while saying issues on the Korean Peninsula must be resolved "only through diplomatic means."

" China and Russia will continue to stand together, firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and international order based on international law, and continue to promote an equal and orderly multi-polar world."

One expert suggests the reason why Russia and China are backing North Korea could be because of the North's role in countering threats from the West.

"I can only speculate that North Korea is playing an important role in this anti-Western strategy. In the immediate circumstances, it's providing weaponry, it's providing artillery, it's providing soldiers, and of course it's testing these short-range missiles for export, for use in other battlefields as well. So it may be that North Korea is simply 'useful' in this respect for both the great powers China and Russia."

On Friday,.. Xi and other world leaders will attend the annual Victory Day military parade in Moscow, to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.

This will be the first time in 10 years that the Chinese leader is attending the event.

North Korean ambassador to Russia is also expected to be there.

The South Korean government earlier said it had received an invitation from Russia, but decided not to attend.

This is likely because sending a senior official to the parade showcasing Russia's military capabilities could in itself send the wrong signal, especially at a time when Pyongyang and Moscow have been continuing arms cooperation, which is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.