Press
North Korea announces that it will support Russia in the Ukraine war. This could further aggravate the geopolitical situation – and backfire.
Washington, DC/Pyongyang – While the West is largely on the side of Ukraine, Russia is looking for new allies and strengthening its relationship with existing ones. So it is not surprising that Vladimir Putin is getting closer to alliances in Asia. In Pyongyang, he seems to have succeeded: on June 19, Putin and the North Korean dictator signed Kim Jong Un a strategic defense agreement.
The strengthening alliance between North Korea and Russia became clear when a North Korean official warned of a tougher reaction from Moscow and a “new world war” shortly after Putin’s visit. However, this agreement could trigger a further escalation of the war in Ukraine. North Korea has announced that an engineer unit will support Russian troops in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk as early as July.
USA warns North Korea against using mercenaries in Ukraine war: “Cannon fodder”
The US is taking this development seriously, but does not expect a decisive reinforcement for Putin’s army. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder told the press: “I think if I were at the head of the North Korean military, I would question my decision to send my troops as cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine.”
According to the 2024 Military Strength Ranking of the trade magazine Global Firepower The North Korean army will have around 1,320,000 soldiers in 2024, just behind the USA (1,328,000). In terms of military strength, however, the North Korean troops rank only 36th – 17 places behind the armed forcesIt is impossible that Kim Jong-un will send a large number of mercenaries to Ukraine without consulting his partner China.
Weapons from North Korea cause problems for Putin’s troops
Despite this, the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the possible stationing of North Korean troops in Ukraine, is “something to keep an eye on,” Ryder said. In fact, the North Korean military industry has been involved in the Ukraine war for some time. While Germany, the US and Great Britain support Ukraine with weapons and equipment, Russia has been able to rely on supplies from North Korea.
The word “abandoned” is perhaps not quite appropriate here: artillery shells are said to explode too early in the barrels of guns and mortars; some of them are reportedly stocks from the 1970s. The splinters that fly around the Russians’ ears as a result not only cause injuries or deaths, but also damage Russia’s weapons, thereby increasing wear and tear and demand. Internal Russian trade data, which the WashingtonPost are said to show that Moscow received 1.6 million grenades from North Korea within six months.
Defense pact between Russia and North Korea: Is Putin planning the “anti-NATO”?
Putin and Kim are therefore relying on each other. The agreement is quoted by Kyiv Independent: “Should either side be brought into a state of war by an armed invasion by a single State or by several States, the other side shall immediately render military and other assistance by all means at its disposal.”
This agreement is reminiscent of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, the so-called alliance case of NATO. Michael Thumann, Russia correspondent of Timewrote in his latest column that Putin is even planning an “anti-NATO”. But regardless of whether a counterpart to NATO is formed in Asia or not, the pact could cause new problems for both Russia and North Korea for the time being.
Pact between Putin and Kim: South Korea now considering arms deliveries to Ukraine
South Korea has already announced that it will reconsider supplying weapons to Ukraine. So far, Seoul has largely stayed out of the war in Ukraine; it has only supported financial sanctions against Russia – but there have been no arms deliveries to Kiev. The South Korean legal code would have to be amended first; a South Korean government law currently prohibits arms deliveries to war zones. However, there are already suspicions of indirect deliveries.
Putin has warned South Korea of serious consequences in the event of arms deliveries. Such deliveries to Kiev would be a “serious mistake,” said the Kremlin chief during his visit to Vietnam. “If that happens, we will make appropriate decisions that the current leadership of South Korea will hardly like.”
However, Yoon Suk-yeol’s government appears unimpressed: South Korea has officially protested to Russia against its new agreement with North Korea and called for an immediate halt to military cooperation. Russian ambassador Georgi Zinoviev was also summoned two days after Putin’s visit. Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun made it clear that they want to take decisive action against any behavior that threatens the people of South Korea. Seoul said that North Korea has been illegally developing nuclear weapons and missiles for decades and is threatening to use them against South Korea. (nak)
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