During President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea, the newly signed pact between Russia and North Korea signaled a strong challenge to Western interests, particularly in the context of the Ukraine conflict.
The agreement includes mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, and Putin mentioned the potential provision of weapons to North Korea, which could destabilize the Korean Peninsula and have far-reaching consequences. This move was portrayed as a response to NATO’s support for Ukraine, with Putin asserting Russia’s determination to pursue its goals in Ukraine.
The pact represents the closest ties between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Cold War, elevating bilateral relations to an alliance level, as stated by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Putin, however, noted that the mutual assistance pledge mirrors a 1961 treaty between the Soviet Union and North Korea, which was replaced with a weaker one in 2000. Stephen Sestanovich of the Council on Foreign Relations highlighted the potential recklessness of Putin’s current strategies, drawing parallels with historical Cold War tensions.
Russia-North Korea Pact Challenges Western Interests Amid Ukraine Conflict
The new agreement has raised concerns in Washington and Seoul about a potential exchange where North Korea provides munitions for Russia’s war in Ukraine in return for economic aid and technology transfers. South Korea hinted at a major policy shift by considering sending arms to Ukraine, a move that Putin warned against, suggesting it would provoke a significant response from Russia.
Putin emphasized that the military assistance envisioned in the pact is defensive and intended to act as a deterrent. He dismissed the necessity for North Korean troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine but did not exclude the possibility of supplying long-range weapons to North Korea in retaliation to NATO’s support for Ukraine.
This could potentially enhance North Korea’s ballistic missile capabilities, as indicated by Sue Mi Terry of the Council on Foreign Relations.
The pact also hints at Russia’s efforts to circumvent U.N. sanctions on arms supplies to North Korea while trying to maintain plausible deniability. Both Russia and North Korea have denied U.S. and allied claims that Pyongyang has provided ballistic missiles and artillery shells to Moscow.
Putin’s rhetoric underscores Russia’s readiness to confront the West to the end in the Ukraine conflict, with Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center noting that this stance is intended to dissuade further Western support for Ukraine.
China, North Korea’s primary ally, faces a new challenge with Putin’s strengthened ties with Pyongyang. While China has not commented on the new pact, experts believe Beijing will be concerned about losing influence over North Korea.
Russia’s dependence on China for energy exports and technology amidst Western sanctions means the Kremlin will likely proceed carefully to avoid antagonizing Beijing. China will closely watch the evolving relationship between Russia and North Korea, given its significant economic ties with North Korea.
