During President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to North Korea, a clear message was sent amidst the festivities: In the escalating conflict with the U.S. and its allies over Ukraine, the Russian leader is ready to challenge Western interests like never before.
The agreement signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un includes mutual military assistance between Moscow and Pyongyang in the event of an attack. Putin also announced the possibility of providing weapons to North Korea for the first time, a decision that could have far-reaching implications beyond the Korean Peninsula.
Putin justified the potential arms shipments as a response to NATO allies arming Ukraine with longer-range weapons against Russia. He made it clear that Russia is willing to go “to the end” to achieve its objectives in Ukraine.
These moves by Putin have raised concerns in Washington and Seoul about a potential alliance where North Korea supplies munitions to Russia for its operations in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could strengthen the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear arsenal and missile program.
A significant agreement
The new pact with Pyongyang marks the strongest bond between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
While Kim described it as elevating bilateral relations to an alliance, Putin was more cautious, noting similarities with a 1961 treaty between the Soviet Union and North Korea. This historic agreement was replaced with a weaker one in 2000 when Putin first visited Pyongyang after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Stephen Sestanovich, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, drew parallels between Putin’s actions and those of Khrushchev in the early 1960s, raising concerns about Putin’s recklessness in the current geopolitical climate.
South Korea responded by considering sending arms to Ukraine, a significant shift in policy, while Putin warned against such actions, indicating potential consequences for Seoul.
Potential weapons for Pyongyang
Putin’s warnings about providing long-range weapons to other countries in response to NATO actions were followed by threats to arm North Korea.
There are concerns that Moscow could share weapons technologies with Pyongyang to enhance its ballistic missile capabilities, posing a significant challenge to regional security.
While discussing potential arms supplies to Pyongyang, Putin hinted at efforts to ease U.N. sanctions on North Korea to avoid accusations of breaching the restrictions.
Confronting the West head-on
By linking arms shipments to Pyongyang with Western actions in Ukraine, Putin issued a warning to Kyiv’s allies and signaled his determination to pursue his goals in the conflict.
Putin’s statement reflects a desire to deter increased Western support for Ukraine as Russia intensifies its offensives on multiple fronts.
Putin’s caution with regard to China, North Korea’s main ally, suggests a balancing act to avoid straining relations with Beijing while strengthening ties with Pyongyang.
