Before travelling abroad
Fight against Ukraine: Putin praises North Korea’s support
Russian President Vladimir Putin: His visit to North Korea is scheduled to last until Wednesday. Photo
© Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa
Russia wants to work more closely with North Korea. To this end, there is a treaty that President Putin and North Korean leader Kim want to sign personally. The content is still unknown.
Immediately before his visit to North Korea, Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the isolated state for its help in the fight against Ukraine.
Putin wrote in an article for the official North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun that they appreciate North Korea’s “steadfast support” for “Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine” and solidarity on important international issues. According to the Kremlin, both countries want to sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement.
As both countries announced, Putin wanted to be in North Korea from Tuesday to Wednesday at the invitation of ruler Kim Jong Un. The Kremlin chief was expected in Pyongyang in the evening (local time). His arrival time was not known. First, he visited the Russian city of Yakutsk on his trip to the Far East.
In the North Korean capital, the streets were decorated with portraits of the Kremlin chief and Russian flags. In South Korea, it was assumed that the political talks would take place on Wednesday before Putin travels on to Vietnam as planned. It is Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years and also a return visit after Kim was in Russia in September.
Moscow’s close ties to Pyongyang
Moscow maintains close contacts with North Korea. According to Western information, the communist-ruled country, which is subject to international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program, supplies artillery ammunition and missiles to Russia, which uses them against Ukraine. From the perspective of the USA and its allies, this would be a serious violation of the UN Security Council’s sanctions resolutions against North Korea. They suspect that in return North Korea could receive key military technologies from Russia in addition to food and other aid.
In recent months, North Korea has illegally delivered dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 11,000 containers of ammunition, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday (local time). “We believe that the deepening of cooperation between Russia and the People’s Republic (North Korea) is something that should cause great concern among all those interested in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, maintaining the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, complying with UN Security Council resolutions and, of course, supporting the people of Ukraine who are defending their freedom against Russia’s invasion.” Russia began its war of aggression against Ukraine more than two years ago.
The United States and South Korea, which North Korea considers to be hostile states, have repeatedly warned against military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Both countries have denied accusations of doing arms deals with each other.
Comprehensive cooperation agreement
Moscow said that Putin had approved a draft of the Foreign Ministry’s planned treaty with North Korea. The document was to be signed at the highest level, i.e. by Putin and the North Korean leader. No details were given about the content of the treaty. At their first meeting in September, both sides had stressed their willingness to deepen cooperation – specifically in the military-technical field.
Putin now wrote in “Rodong Sinmun” that North Korea is “a staunch and like-minded supporter” who is ready to counter the West’s efforts to prevent a multipolar world order. Russia and North Korea will jointly build the security architecture in Eurasia, counter Western sanctions and establish independent transaction systems. Both sides are committed to working closely together, said the Russian president. “To this end, we will develop alternative mechanisms for trade and mutual trade and settlement mechanisms that are not controlled by the West.”