September 12, 2023
Pin and Kim: Friends in need (of ammunition)
Vladimir Putin & Kim Jong Un have а lot in common…
Both governments rail against the "hegemony" of the United States.
Often a common enemy can bring leaders closer together.
But both Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un see potential benefits from a closer relationship.
For a start, North Korea has a huge defense industry with large-scale production capabilities. With Russia's war in Ukraine grinding on, Pyongyang could prove an invaluable source of munitions for Moscow.
Washington suspects that Russia has already clocked that. The United States claims that arms talks between Russia and North Korea have been "actively advancing" with Russia allegedly seeking supplies of ammunition and artillery shells.
Back in July Sergei Shoigu became the first Russian defense minister to visit North Korea since the break-up of the Soviet Union, when he attended events marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean armistice.
Kim Jong Un played tour guide as he showed Mr Shoigu around a weapons exhibition. The defense minister has also hinted that joint military exercises are in the pipeline.
An arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang would represent quite a shift. Until recently Russia had been four-square behind UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme. Among other things, those sanctions ban the trade of weapons with North Korea.
"Moscow had put its signature to those Security Council resolutions," Russian tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets reminded readers last week. But it added:
"Never mind. A signature can be revoked."
What else may North Korea be hoping to get from Russia? Almost certainly, humanitarian aid to help alleviate North Korea's food shortages. There's also speculation that Pyongyang has been seeking advanced Russian technology for satellites and military use, including for nuclear-powered submarines.
KEYWORDS :
weapons
relationship
Russia
North Korea
Russia- Ukraine war
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