Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly submitted a bill to the State Duma to ratify a treaty on the country’s strategic partnership with North Korea. 

According to the Russian news agency Sputnik International, Putin submitted the bill to the lower house of the parliament on Monday.

Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the treaty after a summit in Pyongyang on June 19.   

The new partnership includes a mutual defense assistance clause that would apply in the case of “aggression” against one of the signatories.

If ratified, the agreement will enter into force on the date of the exchange of instruments of ratification.