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Tag: North Korea

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in North Korea for his first visit in 24 years |

    WASHINGTON: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea on Wednesday morning (local time) on his first official visit to the East Asian nation in 24 years and is expected to meet with his counterpart Kim Jong Un, CNN reported. This is a rare overseas trip for Putin since he launched the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and a key moment for Kim, who has not hosted another world leader in his politically isolated country since the COVID-19 pandemic.

    This visit comes after North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un extended an invitation to Putin in September 2023. Putin last visited Pyongyang in July 2000 and this trip is a sign of the two countries’ deepening alignment and Moscow’s need to source weapons from Pyongyang to sustain its war on Ukraine, reported CNN.

    Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov also commented on his trip to North Korea during a press conference Monday and stated that his trip will have an eventful agenda. Both leaders plan to sign a new strategic partnership. Ushakov insisted the agreement is not provocative or aimed against other countries, but is meant to ensure greater stability in northeast Asia. He said the new agreement will replace documents signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in 1961, 2000 and 2001.

    Putin arrives in North Korea on first state visit for over 20 years. Both of them thinking “finally someone as short as me” when they saw each other. They’re a perfect 69.

    Getting desperate isn’t he. It’s like asking your neighbour for a cup of sugar. But it’s the neighbour who… pic.twitter.com/FClY7Oe5M6 — Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) June 18, 2024

    The streets of Pyongyang were decorated with Russian flags and posters of Vladimir Putin ahead of his early Wednesday morning arrival, his first visit to North Korea since 2000. Putin’s visit will be closely watched across the world and is expected to cement further the burgeoning partnership between the two powers that is founded on their shared animosity toward the West and driven by Moscow’s need for munitions for its war in Ukraine.

    Following his visit to North Korea, Putin is scheduled to travel to Hanoi in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Regarding Putin’s visit US national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday the Biden administration wasn’t “concerned about the trip” itself, but added, “What we are concerned about is the deepening relationship between these two countries.”

    The US, South Korea and other countries have accused North Korea of ​​providing substantial military aid to Russia’s war effort in recent months, while observers have raised concerns that Moscow may be violating international sanctions to aid Pyongyang’s development of its nascent military satellite program. Both countries have denied arms transfer.

    Putin’s trip reciprocates one Kim made last September, when the North Korean leader travelled in his armoured train to Russia’s far eastern region, for a visit that included stops at a factory that produces fighter jets and a rocket-launch facility.

  • Russia Vetoes UN Resolution On North Korea Sanctions Amid Ukraine War | world news

    New York: Russia exercised its veto power at the United Nations on Thursday, blocking a resolution aimed at renewing an independent panel of experts tasked with investigating North Korea’s violations of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions, CNN reported. This move comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West over the conflict in Ukraine, with North Korea emerging as a significant supplier of munitions to Russia.

    Overseeing a substantial expansion of Pyongyang’s ballistic missile program, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has conducted numerous tests, including those of long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland United States. Historically, Russia has supported international sanctions and UN investigations into North Korea’s illegal weapons program, according to CNN.

    However, the dynamics have shifted amid the Ukraine crisis, leading to increased reliance on North Korea for munitions by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, justified the veto by asserting that the UN sanctions on North Korea are losing relevance and detached from reality. He criticized the sanctions’ efficacy since their inception in 2006, arguing that they have not achieved their intended goals or contributed to a positive change on the Korean Peninsula. Nebenzia highlighted Russia’s concerns about a coalition of countries, led by the US, seeking to strangle Pyongyang, which directly impacts Russia’s national security interests.

    Despite the prohibition on arms transfers to or from North Korea under UN sanctions, the Kim regime has emerged as a significant supplier of weapons to aid Russia’s efforts in Ukraine. South Korea’s defense minister revealed that North Korean munitions factories are operating at full capacity to supply armaments to Russia, including millions of artillery shells. Furthermore, Ukraine has reported discovering debris from North Korean-made ballistic missiles following attacks on its targets, as reported by CNN.

    The vote in the 15-member Security Council saw 13 members in favor of renewing the panel of experts’ work, with Russia opposing and China abstaining. However, Russia’s veto power ultimately led to the resolution’s failure.

    The British Ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, expressed deep concern over the Russian veto, emphasizing its detrimental impact on North Korean people and the effectiveness of sanctions. She accused Russia of seeking freedom to evade and breach sanctions for its weapons procurement, undermining the integrity of the international non-proliferation regime and the Council’s credibility.

    US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, condemned Russia’s action, questioning how a civilized nation could block the approval.

    He stressed that while the panel of experts may have been silenced temporarily, advocates for a robust nonproliferation regime would persist. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry also criticized Russia’s decision as irresponsible, further highlighting the international backlash against Moscow’s move, CNN reported.