[ad_1]
Putin is expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for talks as they deepen their partnership in the face of separate, escalating confrontations with Washington. This will be Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Putin would make a state visit on Tuesday and Wednesday at Kim’s invitation. North Korean state media did not provide details. Russia confirmed the visit in a simultaneous statement.
There is growing concern about the arms deal, in which Pyongyang is providing Moscow with much-needed munitions to fuel Putin’s war in Ukraine in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers that would increase the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
Military, economic and other cooperation between North Korea and Russia has increased sharply since Kim visited the Russian Far East in September for a meeting with Putin, their first since 2019.
US and South Korean officials have accused the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment to help prolong fighting in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for key military technology and aid. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied allegations of arms transfers from North Korea.
Any arms trade with North Korea would be a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions that Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has previously endorsed.
Andrey Lankov, a North Korea expert at Kookmin University in Seoul, noted that in exchange for providing artillery ammunition and short-range ballistic missiles, Pyongyang hopes to receive higher-end weapons from Moscow.
Lankov noted that while Russia may be reluctant to share its most advanced military technology with North Korea, it is eager to receive ammunition from Pyongyang. “There is never enough ammunition in a war, there is a great demand for it,” Lankov told The Associated Press.
There have been signs that Kim is preparing to host a lavish celebration for Putin as he tries to raise the profile of their relationship to the domestic public. The North Korea-focused website NK News said Monday that its analysis of commercial satellite imagery suggested the North was likely preparing a huge parade in a square in the country’s capital, Pyongyang.
In recent months, Kim has made Russia his main focus as he seeks to strengthen his regional position and expand cooperation with nations that oppose the United States, embracing the idea of what he describes as a “new Cold War.”
In phone calls with South Korea’s vice foreign minister on Friday, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell expressed concern that Putin’s visit to the North would lead to further military cooperation between the countries, potentially undermining stability in the region, Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The list of countries willing to welcome Putin is shorter than ever, but for Kim Jong Un this visit is a victory,” said Leif-Erik Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“The meeting not only improves North Korea’s standing among countries opposed to the US-led international order, but also helps strengthen Kim’s domestic legitimacy.” Russia cannot replace China economically, but increasing cooperation with Moscow shows that Pyongyang has options.”
Putin first visited Pyongyang in July 2000, months after his first election, when he met with Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, who ruled the country at the time.
Moscow said it “highly appreciates” Pyongyang’s support for Russia’s military action in Ukraine and mentioned its “close and fruitful cooperation” at the United Nations and other international organizations.
Russia and China have repeatedly blocked attempts by the US and its partners to impose new UN sanctions on North Korea over its barrage of banned ballistic missile tests.
In March, a Russian veto at the UN ended monitoring of UN sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, prompting Western accusations that Moscow is seeking to avoid scrutiny as it allegedly violates sanctions on Pyongyang’s weapons purchases for use in Ukraine.
During a press conference in March, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said that North Korea had already sent about 7,000 containers filled with ammunition and other military equipment to Russia. In return, Shin said North Korea received more than 9,000 Russian containers, possibly filled with aid.
Kim is also using Russia’s war in Ukraine as a distraction to boost his weapons development as he pursues a nuclear arsenal that could threaten the US and its Asian allies. This has prompted the US and South Korea to expand their joint military exercises and sharpen their nuclear deterrence strategies built around US strategic assets.
Earlier this year, Putin sent Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine, which he had shown the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in September. Observers said the shipment violated a UN resolution aimed at pressuring the North to give up its nuclear weapons program by banning the supply of luxury items to North Korea.
Putin has continually sought to restore ties with Pyongyang as part of efforts to restore the global influence of his country and its Soviet-era alliances. Moscow’s ties with North Korea have weakened since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Kim Jong Un met Putin for the first time in 2019 in Russia’s eastern port of Vladivostok.
[ad_2]
