Russia and North Korea sign partnership deal, vowing closer ties as rivalry deepens with West

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a partnership deal during a summit in Pyongyang, in a bid to expand their economic and military cooperation and cement a united front against Washington.

Mr. Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years comes amid growing concerns over an arms arrangement in which the country provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Mr. Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programme.

Huge crowds lined up on the streets to greet Mr. Putin’s motorcade, chanting “Welcome Putin” and waving flowers and North Korean and Russian flags, and Mr. Kim welcomed Mr. Putin with a lavish ceremony in the city’s main Kim Il Sung square, where members of a crowd wore coordinated t-shirts in the red, white and blue of the Russian and North Korean flags.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, standing on the podium, attend the official welcome ceremony in the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP

Speaking at the start the talks, Mr. Putin thanked Mr. Kim for North Korea’s support for his war in Ukraine, part of what he said was a “fight against the imperialist hegemonistic policies of the U.S. and its satellites against the Russian Federation.”

He said the two planned to sign a “new fundamental document [that] will form the basis of our ties for the long term”, hailing ties that he traced back to the Soviet army fighting the Japanese military on the Korean Peninsula in the closing moments of World War II, and Moscow’s support for Pyongyang during the Korean War.

Mr. Kim said Moscow and Pyongyang’s “fiery friendship” is now even closer than during Soviet times, and promised “full support and solidarity to the Russian government, Army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity”.

Mr. Kim has used similar language in the past, consistently saying North Korea supports what he describes as a just action to protect Russia’s interests and blaming the crisis on the U.S.-led West’s “hegemonic policy.”

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin watches as North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov during an official welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 19, 2024. Photo: Via Reuters

It wasn’t immediately clear what that support might look like, and no details of the agreement were initially made public.

North Korea is under heavy U.N. Security Council sanctions over its weapons programme, while Russia also faces sanctions by the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.

Following their meeting, Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin entered a room with their national flags and two identical white and gold desks, where they signed what they described as a comprehensive partnership agreement. Attendants applauded as they exchanged their signed documents.

Russia media said earlier that Mr. Kim will host a reception, and Mr. Putin is expected to leave on June 19 evening for Vietnam.

U.S. and South Korean officials accuse the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment for use in Ukraine, possibly in return for key military technologies and aid. Both Pyongyang and Moscow deny accusations about North Korean weapons transfers, which would violate multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions that Russia previously endorsed.

Along with China, Russia has provided political cover for Mr. Kim’s continuing efforts to advance his nuclear arsenal, repeatedly blocking U.S.-led efforts to impose fresh U.N. sanctions on the North over its weapons tests.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un attend an official welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 19, 2024. Photo: Via Reuters

In March, a Russian veto at the United Nations ended monitoring of U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear programme, prompting Western accusations that Moscow is seeking to avoid scrutiny as it buys weapons from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine. U.S. and South Korean officials have said they are discussing options for a new mechanism for monitoring the North.

South Korean analysts say that Mr. Kim will likely seek stronger economic benefits and more advanced military technologies from Russia, although his more sensitive discussions with Mr. Putin aren’t likely to be made public.

While Mr. Kim’s military nuclear programme now includes developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles that can potentially reach the U.S. mainland, he may need outside technology help to meaningfully advance his programme further. There are already possible signs that Russia is assisting North Korea with technologies related to space rockets and military reconnaissance satellites, which Mr. Kim has described as crucial for monitoring South Korea and enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles.

A motorcade with Russian President Vladimir Putin drives along a street in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP

The North may also seek to increase labor exports to Russia and other illicit activities to gain foreign currency in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions, according to a recent report by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Korea’s main spy agency. There will likely be talks about expanding cooperation in agriculture, fisheries and mining and further promoting Russian tourism to North Korea, the institute said.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Mr. Putin’s visit to North Korea illustrates how Russia tries, “in desperation, to develop and to strengthen relations with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the war of aggression that it started against Ukraine”.

“North Korea is providing significant munitions to Russia…and other weapons for use in Ukraine. Iran has been providing weaponry, including drones, that have been used against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Mr. Blinken told reporters following a meeting with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on June 18.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, second right, attend the talks in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with the pace of both Mr. Kim’s weapons tests and combined military exercises involving the United States, South Korea and Japan intensifying in a tit-for-tat cycle.

The Koreas also have engaged in Cold War-style psychological warfare that involved North Korea dropping tons of trash on the South with balloons, and the South broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda with its loudspeakers.