Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in North Korea on Tuesday for a significant two-day visit, marking his first trip to the country in 24 years. Both nations made the announcement, highlighting the importance of this visit.
Meeting with Kim Jong Un
During his visit, Putin is expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Their discussions will focus on expanding military cooperation as both countries face increasing tensions with the United States.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency stated that Putin will be on a state visit at Kim’s invitation. While North Korean state media did not provide immediate details, Russia confirmed the visit simultaneously.
This visit raises international concerns about a potential arms deal. It is believed that North Korea might provide Russia with much-needed munitions for the ongoing war in Ukraine. In return, North Korea could receive economic assistance and technology that could enhance its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Since Kim’s visit to Russia in September, military, economic, and other forms of cooperation between North Korea and Russia have increased significantly. This was the first meeting between Kim and Putin since 2019.
U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery, missiles, and other military equipment to aid in the Ukraine conflict. They suggest that North Korea might be getting key military technologies and aid in return. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied these accusations, which would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Violations of U.N. Resolutions
Any weapons trade between Russia and North Korea would breach multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. Russia, a permanent member of the Council, had previously endorsed these resolutions. However, Russia and China have blocked attempts by the U.S. and its allies to impose new sanctions on North Korea for its banned ballistic missile tests.
Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Kookmin University in Seoul, noted that North Korea hopes to obtain higher-end weapons from Russia in exchange for artillery munitions and short-range ballistic missiles. He added that Russia, while possibly reluctant to share advanced military technologies, is keen to receive munitions from North Korea due to the high demand in wartime.
Putin’s first visit to North Korea was in July 2000, shortly after his first election, where he met Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il. The visit this week is part of Putin’s efforts to rebuild ties with Pyongyang, which had weakened after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Kim Jong Un first met Putin in 2019 in Vladivostok, Russia.
Moscow values Pyongyang’s support for its actions in Ukraine and has mentioned their close cooperation at the United Nations and other international platforms. Russia and China have blocked Western attempts to impose additional sanctions on North Korea for its missile tests.
In March, a Russian veto at the United Nations ended monitoring of U.N. sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear program. This led to Western accusations that Russia seeks to avoid scrutiny as it allegedly violates these sanctions to procure weapons from North Korea for use in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Putin sent Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine, a gesture that observers said violated U.N. resolutions banning luxury items to North Korea as part of efforts to pressure it to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Putin has been working to restore Russia’s global influence and revive its Soviet-era alliances, with strengthened ties to North Korea being a significant part of this strategy.
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