US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell believes that North Korea, in exchange for military assistance to Russia, may ask for technologies to improve long-range missiles and nuclear weapons.
Points of attention
- Russia may provide North Korea with technology to improve its nuclear weapons in exchange for military aid.
- The partnership between Russia and North Korea has led to some attempts to reconcile contacts, which worries Western leaders.
- The signing of the agreement between the dictators of the Russian Federation and North Korea caused a reaction from NATO and the administration of the US president.
- The US State Department warns against the growing influence of authoritarian regimes worldwide and supports consolidating democratic countries.
- Putin's meeting with Kim Jong Un indicates the possibility of forming a coalition of authoritarian countries in the international arena.
Russia can provide North Korea with military technology
Campbell recalled that Putin's recent visit to North Korea was the Russian ruler's first in more than 20 years and highlighted the partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
This partnership has its limits, but it cannot be ignored.
The deputy head of the US State Department noted that in recent months, there had been a "dramatic increase in the level" of relations between Russia and North Korea, as a result of which Moscow received a "substantial number" of North Korean artillery shells and long-range missiles.
We believe there are ongoing discussions about what North Korea will get in return. This may be related to its plans to develop long-range missiles or nuclear weapons.
At the same time, the diplomat said China is "excited to some extent" by the strengthening of contacts between Russia and North Korea.
They hinted at it in our negotiations with them. And we can observe a certain tension associated with these events.
Russia, North Korea dictators signed a treaty
Last week, the illegitimate president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, signed an agreement that obligates each side to provide immediate military assistance to the other in the event of armed aggression against one of them.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the agreement between Russia and North Korea demonstrates a growing alignment between authoritarian states and underscores the importance of democracies acting as a united front.
The administration of the US president said that Putin's meeting with Kim Jong-un indicates Moscow's desire to assemble a coalition with North Korea, Iran, Syria and, to some extent, China.
