Photo: Putin (center) visited the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic in Russia’s Far East on the 18th. \Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to North Korea from June 18 to 19. This was Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years and the first visit by a Russian president during Kim Jong-un’s term, which attracted great attention from the outside world. Russian presidential aide Ushakov revealed on the 17th that during Putin’s visit to North Korea, he would sign the Treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with North Korea to elevate bilateral cooperation to a higher level. Western governments and media speculated that Russia and North Korea would further strengthen military cooperation. Analysts pointed out that from the just-concluded Ukrainian Peace Summit to Putin’s visit to North Korea, it once again highlighted the failure of the West’s attempt to isolate Russia in the more than two years of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russian official media said Putin arrived in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, on the evening of the 18th and met with Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission, on the 19th. Kim Jong-un visited Russia in September last year and invited Putin to visit North Korea. Putin last visited North Korea in July 2000, when he held talks with Kim Jong-il, the then supreme leader of North Korea.

Putin: Russia and North Korea will jointly resist the West

Russian presidential aide Ushakov said on the 17th that Putin’s visit to North Korea was “very rich” and that the leaders of Russia and North Korea would discuss “the most important and sensitive issues” involving cooperation in security, economy, energy, transportation and regional relations. “The two countries’ positions on hot issues in foreign policy are very close or completely consistent.”

Ushakov revealed that the two countries will sign the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to adapt to the “profound evolution of the world and regional geopolitical situation.” It is reported that the treaty will replace the 1961 DPRK-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance and the 2000 DPRK-Russia Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighborliness and Cooperation.

On the eve of his visit to North Korea, Putin published an article in the North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun, pointing out that Russia and North Korea have maintained friendly and good-neighborly relations for more than 70 years based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and trust. The two countries will work together to “elevate bilateral cooperation to a higher level.” He stressed that Russia highly appreciates North Korea’s “unwavering support for Russia’s special military actions in Ukraine” and promised to support North Korea in defending its interests and resisting “US pressure, blackmail and military threats.”

Putin pointed out that countries that disagree with the US approach and pursue independent policies are facing increasingly severe external pressure, and Russia and North Korea will jointly resist the West’s attempt to prevent the establishment of a multipolar world order. When talking about the future cooperation between the two countries, Putin said that Russia and North Korea will expand cooperation in tourism, culture and education, develop alternative trade and settlement mechanisms that are not controlled by the West, jointly fight against illegal sanctions against the two countries, and establish an equal and indivisible security architecture on the Eurasian continent.

US worries about deepening military exchanges and cooperation between Russia and North Korea

Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said on the 17th that Putin’s recent foreign visits were a “charm offensive” launched after his re-election in March, and that the Biden administration was not “concerned about (Putin’s) trip” itself, “we are concerned about the deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea.” U.S. media said that since Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia in September last year, exchanges and cooperation between Russia and North Korea in the military, economic and other fields have increased dramatically.

U.S. and South Korean officials claim that North Korea has provided artillery, missiles and other military equipment to Russia to help Russian troops fight in Ukraine. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said earlier this year that North Korea sent about 6,700 containers to Russia from August last year to February this year, which could carry more than 3 million 152mm artillery shells or more than 500,000 122mm multiple rocket launchers. Russia and North Korea deny this.

Kim Jong-un visited factories producing multiple rocket launchers and sniper rifles in North Korea last month and test-drove a combat vehicle himself. He praised the factories for their efficient production increase and showed off warehouses filled with short-range ballistic missiles.

Professor Nam Sung-wook of Korea University said that the main topic of the meeting between the Russian and North Korean leaders will be “how many more weapons will North Korea provide to Russia”. He believes that the scope of discussion between the two sides will go beyond short-term orders involving conventional weapons, and may reach a consensus on closer military cooperation, including the joint development of weapons systems. In exchange, in addition to food and fuel, North Korea may seek technical assistance from Russia in launching military satellites and producing nuclear weapons.

(RIA Novosti/The New York Times/BBC)