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Toasts, entertainment and promises of cooperation were the backdrop to an exceptional summit between the leaders of Russia, Vladimir Putinand of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. The rulers, both isolated by the West and under increasing international pressure, made clear that strengthening their relations is a common priority. “One old friend is better than two new ones,” Putin said during lunch with Kim, who arrived in Russian territory on Tuesday via an armored train.
LOOK: Kim assures that Russia and Putin will achieve “a great victory” against their enemies
Kim, for his part, was quick to affirm that his decision to visit Russia, his first trip abroad since the COVID-19 pandemic, is proof of how Pyongyang is “prioritizing the strategic importance” of its relations with Moscow. The last meeting between both leaders occurred during a visit by the North Korean to the Russian city of Vladivostok in 2019.
On this occasion, Kim’s personal train stopped at Khasan, a station on the border between Russia and North Korea, where he was greeted by a military honor guard, a music band and authorities on a red carpet, according to state media. North Koreans.
After that, the North Korean leader met with Putin and together they visited the facilities at the Vostochny cosmodrome, in the Russian Far East, where they held official discussions with their delegations and then face to face. They later participated in a dinner in honor of the North Korean leader.
“We are convinced that the Russian army and the Russian people will win a great victory in the just fight to punish evil groups that pursue hegemony and expansion“said the North Korean leader in front of his Russian counterpart. “I take this opportunity to affirm that we will always be with Russia”he added.
“We will prioritize the relationship between North Korea and Russia and make it the top priority of our foreign policy”Declared Kim, whose words were picked up by Russian television.
In front of Kim, Putin asked for a toast in a solemn tone to the “future strengthening of cooperation” with Pyongyang, standing behind a long table, surrounded by his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, as well as as well as senior North Korean officials.
Regarding the content of his conversations with Putin, which lasted more than two hours, Kim said that they both addressed in a “deep” manner the “political and military situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe.”
“Our current visit occurs at a time of fierce confrontation in the international arena between the progressive and the reactionary, between justice and injustice, as well as the construction of a multipolar world.”Kim said.
Beyond the praise and fraternal words, the most important point of the meeting was the one that revealed possible bilateral support in military matters, something that has been worrying the international community for some time.
In fact, Washington has warned that the summit between the two leaders could lead to an arms sales agreement to support the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
On this point, Putin said he sees “prospects” for military cooperation with North Korea, despite international sanctions on Pyongyang, isolated due to its nuclear and missile programs.
“Russia respects all these restrictions. But there are things that we can definitely talk about, we are discussing them (…) And there are also perspectives”he told Russian state television.
In response, the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, asked this Wednesday the 13th for all countries to respect the sanctions imposed on Korea of the North.
“Any form of cooperation of any country with North Korea must respect the sanctions regime imposed by the Security Council” from the UN, Guterres told reporters.
Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for the South Korean Foreign Ministry, stated that “No UN member state should violate Security Council sanctions against North Korea by engaging in an illegal arms trade, and certainly should not engage in military cooperation with North Korea that undermines the peace and stability of the international community.”.
The AP agency explains that speculation about military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang grew after Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, visited North Korea in July. Kim later toured his weapons factories, which experts said had the dual purpose of encouraging the modernization of North Korea’s weapons and examining artillery and other supplies that could be exported to Russia.
Amid their escalating confrontations with the West, it is evident that Russia and Korea are driven by the need to exchange support. On the one hand, Pyongyang could benefit from economic aid and military technology. On the other hand, Moscow is faced with the opportunity to replenish the ammunition it needs to continue fighting the war it unleashed in Ukraine.
“Kim and Putin have been isolated by the West, but the war in Ukraine has elevated the North Korean leader’s importance to the Kremlin. Putin’s invasion has dragged on for almost 19 months, he needs allies and North Korea is one of the few countries willing to supply weapons to Russia” says “The New York Times”.
The outlet emphasizes that despite international sanctions and internal economic difficulties, North Korea operates one of the largest standing armies in the world and has a vigorous defense industry.
U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that North Korea was sending artillery shells and rockets to Russian troops in Ukraine, in line with its search for weapons in other isolated nations.
“An increasingly isolated Putin has been scrounging for weapons among other pariah nations. Iran became a key supplier of the drones that routinely kill Ukrainian civilians (Iran has denied supplying weapons to Russia despite evidence to the contrary). Now, North Korea may be about to play a bigger role, potentially helping Russia in its illegal war.”says international journalist Frida Ghitis in an opinion column for CNN.
Analysts have also warned that Pyongyang is seeking help to modernize its aging Soviet-era equipment, especially for its air and naval forces.
After the end of the summit at the Vostochny cosmodrome, it was reported that the North Korean leader will still remain in Russia, where he will visit aircraft factories in the city of Komsomolsk on Amur and military facilities in Vladivostok. According to Putin, Kim “will then travel to Vladivostok ”, where the Russian Ministry of Defense will show you the capabilities of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
