The Kremlin has said it has nothing to say about reports Kim Jong-un will hold talks with Vladimir Putin next week to discuss the prospect of North Korea supplying Russia with weapons to help the war effort in Ukraine.
US officials told the New York Times that the two leaders will meet in Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast. Kim may even accompany Putin back to Moscow but this is not confirmed yet.
Next week’s potential visit comes after Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang in late July to meet Kim and inspect weaponry. He became the first Russian defence minister to do so since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The pictures that surfaced from the visit showed the men next to North Korea’s banned ballistic missiles.
When asked whether Russia was interested in becoming a closer strategic ally of North Korea, Shoigu is quoted as saying: “Why not, these are our neighbours. There’s an old Russian saying: you don’t choose your neighbours and it’s better to live with your neighbours in peace and harmony.” It is not hard to spot the irony.
The two nations have a curious historical relationship. The Soviet Union was a crucial supporter of communist North Korea in the Korean War from 1950-1953, while the South was staunchly backed-up by the US, UK and allies. After the war, North Korea relied heavily on Soviet aid and suffered a huge famine when the Soviet Union fell.
Edward Howell, a North Korea expert and lecturer at New College, Oxford, told Reaction: “Whilst the relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang has historically not always been smooth-sailing, the very proposal of a presidential-level meeting between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin is a clear affirmation of the nature of their current relationship. These ties are highly transactional. Kim will gain material technology and know-how to further his country’s nuclear and missile capabilities; Putin will gain munitions and the support of a former Cold War client of the Soviet Union.”
Adrienne Watson, a US National Security Council spokeswoman, said that a military agreement between Russia and North Korea is “actively advancing”. Also, according to AP, South Korea’s intelligence agency believes that Russia is supportive of trilateral military operations with North Korea and China.
The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) has had sanctions on North Korea in place since 2006. Both Russia and China oppose these sanctions; Russia openly exports oil to North Korea. In return, North Korea is one of the only countries in the world to officially recognise Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Russian officials have also openly discussed importing North Korean workers to rebuild war-torn parts of occupied Ukraine and it is believed that, despite a ban, many North Korean workers are living in Russia.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meets in Jakarta on Wednesday, a day before the 18-nation East Asia Summit, which Russia is also attending. These summits will be crucial for the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, to gain regional support against the country’s aggressive northern neighbours.
In an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas, Yoon said that North Korea’s aggression and relationship with Russia “pose a direct and existential threat” to the region.
He continued: “In times like these, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN must join forces to respond decisively and co-operate closely on North Korea’s denuclearisation.”
On how the West might respond to Russia and North Korea’s improving relationship, Edward Howell said: “As was highlighted by the recent trilateral summit between Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo, held at Camp David, now is the time for the United States to strengthen its relationships in Northeast Asia.
Ensuring that the Russia-China-North Korea relationship does not escalate into an undesirable strategic triangle should be a core priority for the US and its allies.”
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