The US and South Korea have cautioned Vladimir Putin against deepening military connections with North Korea as speculation mounts that the Russian leader may visit the secretive state soon.
Reports indicate that Putin plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a reciprocal visit following Kim’s weeklong trip to Russia last September.
During that visit, the two leaders are believed to have agreed that North Korea would receive Russian assistance with its space program in exchange for providing Russia with armaments for its war in Ukraine, a move that violates UN resolutions.
Moscow has labeled as “absurd” the reports suggesting it is using North Korean weapons and ammunition.
However, UN sanctions monitors have identified debris from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 2 as being from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, launched from Russian territory.
Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state, warned South Korean counterpart Kim Hong-kyun this week that closer military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow would exacerbate regional instability.
The two sides agreed to respond decisively to North Korean provocations against South Korea and actions that heighten regional tensions, according to a statement from South Korea’s foreign ministry on Friday.
This week, Russia reaffirmed its right to establish “very deep” relations with North Korea, amidst fears that Moscow’s international isolation might lead it to share missile and nuclear technology with Kim’s regime.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, “It is our neighbour, it is a friendly country with which we are developing bilateral relations.
We will continue to do so in an upward direction. The potential for the development of our relations is very deep. We believe that our right to develop good relations with our neighbours should not be of concern to anyone and cannot and should not be challenged by anyone.”
It is uncertain when Putin will make his first visit to North Korea since 2000, when he met Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un’s late father.
Officials in Seoul have suggested it could happen “in the coming days,” while Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper reported that Putin might travel to North Korea and Vietnam in the next few weeks.
South Korean media have speculated that his visit could align with upcoming talks in Seoul between South Korean and Chinese foreign and defense officials.
North Korea seems to be preparing for Putin’s visit, with civilian aircraft being cleared from Pyongyang’s airport and preparations underway for a possible parade in Kim Il-sung Square, according to NK Pro, a Seoul-based website, which cited commercial satellite imagery.
The leaders, who first met in Vladivostok in 2019, have expressed mutual admiration. Russia, along with China, has used its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to veto tighter sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Earlier this year, Moscow vetoed the renewal of a key UN body that was monitoring sanctions against Pyongyang.
In a message to Putin this week, Kim Jong-un described the relationship between North Korea and Moscow as having “developed into an unbreakable relationship of comrades-in-arms,” according to North Korean state media.
Experts suggest that North Korea may use the visit to boost weapons exports to Russia in exchange for food and energy imports.
Cheong Seong-chang, a director at the Sejong Institute, told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that if Putin visits Pyongyang, there is a strong possibility that North Korea and Russia could enhance their military cooperation to a new level during a period of close military ties.
