(Reuters) - Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

NATO has deepened its links with Japan and three other Indo-Pacific partners, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, though not as part of the military alliance. View on euronews

By bno - Taipei Bureau Japan has formally launched an independent diplomatic mission to NATO, reflecting its growing collaboration with the alliance as tensions rise with Russia, China, and North Korea.