What the Kremlin Expects from Kim’s Visit
The talks between Russia’s President Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim are expected to primarily revolve around weapons deliveries. However, there may be much more at stake in this meeting. According to media reports, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia. His train crossed the Russian border in the morning – Russian state television showed a train with green wagons and a Russian locomotive. The location and exact timing of the meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin are still being kept secret. However, it is expected that the two leaders will start their discussions soon.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov at least revealed that Kim did not travel alone and provided a rough outline of what is planned. “There will be negotiations between two delegations,” he said. “And afterwards, if necessary, the heads of state will continue their communication one-on-one.” In addition, an official dinner in honor of the North Korean guest is planned in the name of the Russian president.
Weapons for Food
Regarding the content of the negotiations, Peskov remained tight-lipped. Speculation has been circulating for days that weapons deliveries are the focus of the talks. “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is our neighbor,” Peskov explained. “And, of course, like with any neighbor, we consider it important to build good, mutually beneficial relations, which President Putin consistently does.”
Russian North Korea expert Sergei Luzianin, who also works as a professor at the Moscow Higher School of Economics, goes into more specific details. He told Russian radio station Vesti FM: “First and foremost, it is, of course – this is no longer a secret – about the formation of Russian-North Korean military-technical cooperation regarding deliveries of artillery shells and other things. In return, it is about Russian deliveries of high-tech components that North Korea requires.”
North Korea’s weapons could give Russia a significant boost
This aligns with the assessment of many experts. North Korea is said to have tens of millions of artillery shells and missiles that could give a significant boost to Russian troops in the event of a war in Ukraine. In return, North Korea could receive modern technology for satellites and nuclear submarines from Russia, as well as food deliveries. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the question of humanitarian aid for North Korea will also be discussed.
The United States has warned North Korea against weapons deals with Russia and threatened sanctions: Any arms deal would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, which were also supported by Moscow.
Alliance between Russia, China, and North Korea?
Expert Luzianin also points out another aspect that is likely to play a role in the meeting between Putin and Kim – and this is the most important aspect. Russian Defense Minister Shoigu had already prepared this during his last visit to North Korea. “With Shoigu’s visit and the representative of the Chinese Politburo in Pyongyang at the end of July… a request was made to form a trilateral military-strategic non-aligned alliance between Russia, China, and North Korea.”
This would integrate North Korea into the long-standing military cooperation between China and Russia. For the ongoing struggle for supremacy in the Indo-Pacific region between the West and China, this means that an alternative defense system will now emerge alongside the alliances involving the US, according to the expert.