Good Friends and Neighbours : Russia/North Korea
"I firmly believe that the heroic Russian army and people will brilliantly inherit their victories and traditions and vigorously demonstrate their noble dignity and honour on the two fronts of military operations and building a powerful nation."North Korean leader Kim Jong Un"Korea is our neighbor. One way or another, we must build good neighborly relations with our neighbors.""Yes, there are certain special [circumstances] associated with the Korean peninsula, we are discussing this, discussing it openly.""[Russia] never violates anything, and in this case, we are not going to violate anything either."Russian President Vladimir Putin"[Moscow sees] the potential for cooperation both in aircraft manufacturing and in other industries [with North Korea].""We see the potential for cooperation both in aircraft manufacturing and in other industries – this is especially relevant for achieving the tasks our countries face to achieve technological sovereignty."Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Denis Manturov
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Amur region. Photograph: KCNA via KNS/AFP/Getty Images |
North
Korea's leader is given to gushingly lavish language when expressing
his pleasure at incidents where he is given the respect he craves, as a
world leader of consequence. One, lamentably, whose citizenry is
food-insecure while their leader's treasury priorities embrace costly
research and production of highly technical weaponry. 'Noble dignity',
'honour' and 'heroism' has been conspicuously absent in the actions of
the Russian military with its Kremlin-ordered invasion of Ukraine. An
inconvenient detail that Kim flicks away if he is even aware of such
mundane items.
Both
leaders, however, facing the opprobrium of much of the free world for
their threats to world peace in their aspirational overreach for power
and recognition finding it useful to befriend one another as think-alike
colleagues. Each of whom has something of substance to offer the other.
Russia would like more armaments, rocketry that North Korea can
provide, and North Korea would appreciate some assistance with its own
agenda in satellite technology.
So Kim was pleased to express "full and unconditional support" for
Moscow's invasion, an echo of the attitude of his mentor Xi Jinping.
Pyongyang, he asserted, is prepared to stand forever with the Kremlin
against the provocations and threats issued by "anti-imperialists". They
had ample time to discuss their concerns and their mutual problems and
solutions during a four-hour meeting at Russia's Far East spaceport. If
Mr. Putin planned to impress his North Korean counterpart that was the
venue that would do it.
The
agreement they likely reached without too much of a stretch would have
been a deal to provide Russia with North Korean artillery shells and
antitank missiles to help fill the gap in Russia's dwindling stock as
the war in Ukraine carries on, and Ukraine has proven itself able to
give as well as it gets. Kim's expectation is that the compliment would
be returned in the sharing of Russian expertise in space technology.
Kim
is after Russian help to develop military reconnaissance satellites,
crucial in his agenda, to enhance his nuclear-capable missile threat.
The arrangement Putin made to meet with Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrone,
was an open code of agreement. Belying Russia's Security Council role
in voting against giving aid to North Korea in the sphere of advancing
Kim's military ambitions. But Putin denies that Russia is flaunting the
sanctions that prohibit sourcing weapons from Pyongyang.
The private
train of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is seen at the railway
station in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far East on September 15 AP |
North
Korea's leader has been embarrassed and frustrated by the technical
failures his researchers have encountered in getting a first military
spy satellite into orbit. So he has high expectations of his great good
friend, Vladimir Putin. And Mr. Putin went out of his way to
courteously extend his great regard for Kim as a world leader of note by
meeting Kim's limousine at the entrance to the launch facility.
The
issue revolves around North Korea's likely possession of tens of
millions of elderly artillery shells and rockets of Soviet designs in
his possession which could boost the Russian army's chances of success
in Ukraine. North Korea has previously been accused by the United States
of providing Russia with arms, of selling artillery shells to the
Russian mercenary group Wagner, although both Russia and North Korea
deny any such claims.
The
international sanctions Russia has supported against buying arms from
or providing rocket technology to North Korea would of course be
violated should any such agreement come to pass. Kim asked countless
questions abut the rockets from a Russian space official at the Soyuz-2
space rocket launch, as a reflection of his keen interest and
preoccupation with space technology.
Statements for public consumption of a non-controversial nature included talk of "lots of interesting projects in areas such as transportation and agriculture", noted Mr. Putin. Moscow prepared to provide its neighbour with humanitarian aid, as well as opportunities for "working as equals". Military cooperation? nada; Russia abides by the sanctions prohibiting procurement of weaponry from Pyongyang. Or not.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responds as Russian President Vladimir Putin sends him off from the Vostochny cosmodrome Photograph: 朝鮮通信社/AP |
Labels: Exchange of Ammunition and Technology, Kim Jong Un, Summit, Vladimir Putin
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