Russian President Vladimir Putin went on a shopping trip to North Korea last week, seeking military munitions and missiles to support Russia’s draining war effort in Ukraine. In so doing, Putin confirmed much of the speculation about Russia’s dwindling weapons stockpile and the heavy price Russia is paying for its aggression in Ukraine, along with its increasing political and economic isolation from most of the Western world.
Putin’s first visit to North Korea in more than two decades marked a sharp contrast. The last time Putin visited the hermit nation he did so in triumph and in a position of strength seeking to cultivate relations with another authoritarian government that was thirsting for international recognition and support.
This time — notwithstanding the grandeur of his welcome and lavish public displays of deference and respect — Putin essentially came hat in hand, seeking needed military assistance from his newfound friend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In the process, Putin worked to expand his influence while stoking unease around the world over the increasingly close relationship being developed between the two authoritarian leaders.
Putin and Kim need each other. Over the past several months, their countries have done a lot of business together, including the exchange of food, oil and weapons. And in return for North Korea’s near-endless supply of military weapons and munitions, Moscow has promised to transfer needed technology to nuclear-armed Pyongyang, which will strengthen North Korea’s weapons capabilities and make the Western world very nervous.
That possible transfer of sophisticated technological support from Russia to North Korea is reportedly of concern to China, which views North Korea’s growing weapons program under the volatile Kim as a threat to regional stability.
For Kim, Putin’s visit will boost North Korea’s international profile and allow North Korea to acquire foreign currency by increasing its sale of weapons to Russia while avoiding international sanctions. He also hopes to gain support for his nation’s ambitious (but, as yet only marginally successful) satellite and reconnaissance program.
Putin, on the other hand, was looking to leverage his visit to expand on the more than 10,000 containers of munitions and related material — the equivalent of 260,000 metric tons of munitions or munitions-related material — that are reported to have been delivered to Russia since Putin and Kim met in Russia last September.
Those transfers were accepted by Russia even though they violate at least 10 United Nations Security Council resolutions which Russia supported regarding the heavily sanctioned North Korea. That also explains why Russia has more recently opposed an expansion of North Korea sanctions efforts in the U.N Security Council.
Putin and Kim are strange bedfellows. Each is increasingly “alone” on the international stage, and each seems poised to use his relationship with the other to rattle Western adversaries.
More importantly, each has something the other wants. While it isn’t clear how far Putin will go in the provision of highly sophisticated technology that would elevate Kim’s nuclear threat to a new level, the mere prospect of such a result keeps Western leaders up at night.
