Defense ministers from the multinational coalition responsible for overseeing the Korean War armistice condemned growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia on Tuesday, a move one expert views as a response to “unprecedented” global tensions.

In a joint statement after the 2nd ROK-U.N. Command (UNC) Member States Defense Ministerial Meeting in Seoul, representatives from South Korea and 17 other countries voiced their opposition to a new Russia-DPRK agreement that seemingly set up a mutual defense alliance.