North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised support and solidarity for Russia’s battle in Ukraine, while President Vladimir Putin noted during their meeting in Pyongyang that Moscow is fighting against the long-standing hegemonic and imperialist policies of the United States and its allies. Putin expressed gratitude to Kim on Wednesday for his assistance in Ukraine and announced the signing of an agreement to further their collaboration.
The Russian president is in North Korea for the first time in 24 years, and as tensions between the two nations have grown in the months since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there is growing worry that Pyongyang is giving Russia armaments in exchange for Russian technological know-how. North Korea and Russia have pledged to deepen their military ties while rejecting the transfer of weapons.
Despite the several issues they were facing, the two leaders attempted to present a unified front to the world while reporting from Yeonpyeong, South Korea. According to him, it was a demonstration of strength and unity that marked the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship. McBride said, “It has all culminated in the two signing a new agreement, which Putin says forms the basis of relations for years to come.” The Russian news source Ria Novosti reports that the two parties signed a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty.”
The treaty’s terms were not disclosed by the Kremlin on Wednesday, but on Monday it announced that the new agreement would take the place of other bilateral agreements and declarations that were signed in 1961, 2000, and 2001.
Welcome on the Red Carpet: Putin and Kim
Even though it was early in the morning on Wednesday, Kim was waiting to receive Putin as he arrived in the North Korean capital. As the two men shook hands and hugged, a woman dressed in a traditional Korean hanbok presented Putin a bundle of red roses. After that, Kim got into Putin’s sedan and the two of them drove to the Kumsusan State Guest House together, passing through streets festooned with the Russian flag and the president’s photographs.
Later footage of Putin and Kim showed them attending an official greeting ceremony in Kim Il Sung Square, where hundreds of kids were lined up and troops were standing in rows, all of them decorated with balloons and banners. The two leaders’ encounter was earlier hailed as a historic occasion that demonstrated the “invincibility and durability” of the friendship and unity between North Korea and Russia by the country’s official news agency, KCNA.
It continued, saying that ties between the two nations had “emerged as a strong strategic fortress for preserving international justice, peace, and security and an engine for accelerating the building of a new multi-polar world.” Deputy Prime Minister Denis Mantrurov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov are among the high-ranking officials who are traveling with Putin.
Worries over Weaponry
Since years ago, North Korea has been subject to severe sanctions by the UN Security Council because of its nuclear weapons and missile development programs. In addition, Russia is contending with sanctions imposed by the US and its allies due to the invasion of Ukraine. Russia has consistently thwarted US-led attempts to impose more UN sanctions over North Korea’s missile launches and weapons tests, together with China, the country’s principal ally.
When Russia exercised its veto in March to halt the monitoring of UN sanctions, the West accused Moscow of trying to evade scrutiny as it purchases weapons from North Korea for use in Ukraine. Officials from the US and South Korea have stated that they are debating possibilities for a new system to keep an eye on Pyongyang.
As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement following Putin’s visit to North Korea in Washington, DC, Russia tried to strengthen its ties with countries that may supply it with the resources it needs in a desperate endeavor to continue the war of aggression it started against Ukraine.
Russia is receiving large arms supplies from North Korea, along with additional weapons intended for use in Ukraine. After meeting with NATO head Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday, Blinken told reporters that Iran has been supplying weapons, including drones, that have been used against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Regarding the “possible support that Russia provides to North Korea when it comes to supporting their missile and nuclear programs,” Stoltenberg expressed worries once more. Due to North Korea’s weapon testing and South Korea’s extensive military drills, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased recently.
Following the collapse of a 2018 military deal between the two nations last year, Pyongyang has been bolstering its border defenses. On Tuesday, South Korea announced that, ostensibly by accident, North Korean soldiers engaged in minelaying and other operations had crossed the border, prompting warning shots from its military. On June 9, a similar thing happened.
Putin is anticipated to land in Hanoi, Vietnam, late on Wednesday night. Despite the US denouncing the nation for organizing to host the Russian leader, Putin is predicted to receive a warm reception there. According to Alexander Vuving of the Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii, this makes Putin’s visit to Hanoi particularly significant for the Russian president.
