Monday 24 Jun 2024 @ 12:10
Chatham House
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Kim–Putin ‘strategic partnership’ leaves US and allies with multi-pronged problem

EXPERT COMMENT

A growing arms trade between Moscow and Pyongyang together with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are increasingly urgent issues for the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

The much-anticipated visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang on 17–18 June emphasized how relations between North Korea and Russia have now reached new levels. The two states signed a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ agreement, including a mutual defence clause.

This was far from an insignificant manoeuvre, even if the lack of detail raises questions about the agreement’s practical implications. What is more, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un surprisingly termed the two states’ relationship an ‘alliance’, underlining its lasting nature.

The meeting underscores the importance that the US and its allies – not least South Korea and Japan – address not just the North Korean nuclear problem, but an arguably more concerning issue, namely the brewing arms trade between Moscow and Pyongyang.

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Original article link: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/06/kim-putin-strategic-partnership-leaves-us-and-allies-multi-pronged-problem

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