Born from the urgency of the war in Ukraine, the spectacular rapprochement between Russia and North Korea must now be long-term, and in the logic of bloc confrontation which makes the West a common enemy. This is the message that was sent by Vladimir Putin’s visit on Wednesday June 19 to Pyongyang, where the Russian president was welcomed with exceptional pomp.
The main expression of this common commitment is the unexpected conclusion of a “global strategic partnership treaty”. If the content of this document is secret, its status is in itself superior to previous texts linking the two countries, which date back to 1961, 2000 and 2001. Mr. Putin also revealed the most substantial point during a ‘a short statement to the press following the official ceremonies: ” The Treaty (…) provides, among other things, for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against any part of the treaty”, said the Russian president. The similar agreement signed in 2019 between Moscow and Mongolia, for example, only provides for simple “consultations” in the event of assault.
Urgent need for ammunition on the Russian side
Vladimir Putin explicitly linked the conclusion of this treaty to the context of the war in Ukraine. Citing the acceleration of Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, and in particular the supply of long-range missiles and combat aircraft, the Kremlin leader warned: “In this context, and within the framework of the document we signed, we do not exclude the development of our military-technical cooperation with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. »
This precision is probably even more important than mutual defense commitments. Until now, Moscow had never openly mentioned such cooperation, which contravenes UN sanctions and was until now considered an admission of weakness.
However, it is the crying need for ammunition felt by the Russian army which motivated the rapprochement with North Korea, which seized the opportunity to emerge from the deep isolation in which it is confined. Deliveries of shells (of caliber and design compatible with the weapons used by Moscow) are now an open secret. Estimates from American and South Korean intelligence services suggest up to five million shells transported by cargo ship, and dozens of missiles, some of which were identified during the bombing of Ukrainian cities.
You have 73.13% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.