As Russian President Vladimir Putin started his first visit to the nuclear-armed nation in 24 years, the alliance’s chief expressed alarm over support Russia might give to North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs on Tuesday.
While in North Korea for discussions with its leader Kim Jong Un, Putin made a commitment to strengthen trade and security relations and to stand behind the North in opposition to the United States, which is a close ally of South Korea, its fierce competitor.
North Korea is alleged by the United States to have supplied Russia with “dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 containers of munitions” for deployment in Ukraine.
Following discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a joint press conference that China, North Korea, and Iran—all of whom desired the collapse of the Western alliance—were financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We naturally have concerns regarding the possible assistance that Russia may give to North Korea in advancing their nuclear and missile projects,” Stoltenberg stated.
He said that the alliance’s ties with Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan would be further strengthened at the NATO summit in Washington next month. He claimed that this, together with China’s backing for Russia’s war economy, demonstrated how security difficulties in Europe were linked to Asian concerns.
According to Stoltenberg, China had to face “consequences” at some point.
He declared, “They cannot fuel the biggest war we have seen in Europe since the Second World War and still maintain normal trade relations with countries in Europe.”
“It has to be an issue that we need to address because to continue as we do today is not viable,” stated Stoltenberg, adding that it was too soon to predict what those repercussions may be.
The relationship between North Korea and Russia is being watched “very, very closely” by Washington, according to White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby, since there “could be some reciprocity… that could affect security on the Korean Peninsula.”
Deepening Russia-North Korea cooperation is “a trend that should be of great concern to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said during a news briefing on Tuesday.
“We hope this is a message that Putin will convey to Kim in their discussion,” the speaker said, referencing a statement made by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their May summit, which emphasized the need for political and diplomatic measures to settle the Korean issue.
Blinken claimed that Putin’s visit to Pyongyang was an indication of his “desperation” to fortify ties with nations that could back his conflict in Ukraine during the briefing with Stoltenberg.
He continued by saying that China’s assistance had allowed Russia to keep its defense industrial base intact, providing 90% of Moscow’s imports of microelectronics and 70% of machine tools. “That needs to end,” he declared.
