Kim Jong Un Pledges Full Support for Putin at Russia-North Korea Summit

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a spaceport in Russia’s Far East.

The summit, which lasted more than four hours, was a show of solidarity between the two countries that are both facing sanctions and isolation from the West.

The meeting also raised concerns that Russia might seek to acquire weapons or ammunition from North Korea, which has a large stockpile of Soviet-era arms. Such a deal could violate international sanctions and escalate the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia is backing separatist rebels.

A role reversal from the Korean War

The summit was the first between the leaders of Russia and North Korea since 2011, when Kim’s father Kim Jong Il visited Moscow. It also marked a role reversal from the 1950-53 Korean War, when the Soviet Union supplied weapons and troops to support North Korea’s invasion of South Korea.

Now, Russia is believed to be interested in one of the few things that impoverished North Korea has in abundance: old ammunition and rockets for Soviet-made weapons. Analysts say that North Korea may have tens of millions of aging artillery shells and rockets that could bolster Russian forces in Ukraine.

Washington has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including selling artillery shells to the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Both Russian and North Korean officials deny such claims.

But either buying arms from or providing rocket technology to North Korea would violate international sanctions that Russia has previously supported. It would also deepen Russia’s isolation in the world, as it faces increasing pressure over its annexation of Crimea and its involvement in Syria.

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A quest for military satellites

The choice of the Vostochny Cosmodrome as the venue for the summit suggests that Kim is seeking Russian help in developing military reconnaissance satellites. Kim has previously said that launching such satellites is crucial to enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles, which he claims can reach anywhere in the US.

North Korea has repeatedly failed to put its first military spy satellite into orbit, despite several attempts. Russia, on the other hand, has a long history of space exploration and has launched several satellites from the Vostochny Cosmodrome since 2016.

As the leaders toured a Soyuz-2 rocket launch facility on Wednesday, Kim peppered a Russian space official with questions. Putin told Russian state TV that Kim will visit two more cities in the Far East on his own after the summit, flying to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he will see a factory that produces Sukhoi fighter jets, and Vladivostok, where he will tour a naval base.

A pledge of support against “hegemonic forces

At the start of their meeting, Putin and Kim exchanged warm words and praised their countries’ historical ties. Putin spoke of the Soviet Union’s wartime support for North Korea and said the talks would cover economic cooperation, humanitarian issues and the “situation in the region.”

Kim, in turn, pledged continued support for Moscow, making an apparent reference to the war in Ukraine.

“Russia is currently engaged in a just fight against hegemonic forces to defend its sovereign rights, security and interests,” he said. “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has always expressed its full and unconditional support for all measures taken by the Russian government, and I take this opportunity to reaffirm that we will always stand with Russia on the anti-imperialist front and the front of independence.”

Kim also thanked Putin for his efforts to resolve the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula, which has stalled since Kim’s second summit with US President Donald Trump in February ended without a deal. Putin said he supports Kim’s position that Pyongyang needs security guarantees and sanctions relief before giving up its nuclear weapons.

The two leaders met together with their delegations and later one-on-one, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. After the talks, there was an official lunch for Kim, Russian state media reported.

The summit was widely seen as an opportunity for both Putin and Kim to boost their domestic and international legitimacy, as well as to send a message to Washington that they have other options for diplomacy and cooperation.

Source: AP