By Abigail Gilder
Staff Writer
For the first time in five years, Russian leader, Vladmir Putin and North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, convened in a private summit. The summit, held in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, was designed to send a political warning to international foes of Russia and North Korea.
The two countries have expressed an interest in deepening their relationships for purposes of military exchange and defense. On Sep. 13, Kim met Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The meeting at this particular location suggests that Kim is seeking Russian assistance in the development of military satellites, due to the fact that it is Russia’s most important military launch center. According to AP News, while it has been an ongoing goal to launch a military satellite of their own, North Korea has continually failed to do so. The U.S. warns of the danger of North Korea owning a military satellite, claiming it will be used to discern military information from enemy countries.
While the United States has accused the two nations of exchanging military information and weaponry in order to advance Russia’s assault on Ukraine, both leaders have denied such claims, as Reuters reports. As AP reports, while it is an idyllic belief to think that Russia and North Korea are being truthful, the Director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Chatham House, James Nixey, claims that Moscow’s goal is success in its war with Ukraine, “and it would do pretty much anything in order to achieve that.”
The U.S. and Security Council of the United Nations have continually imposed sanctions on Russia as a result of the ongoing war with Ukraine. These sanctions prevent Russia from receiving nuclear or ballistic weaponry of any kind, including those made by North Korea. According to the New York Times, other recent sanctions include penalizing those that profited off of the war in Ukraine, specifically in weapons, ammunition and war-related supplies. The U.S. is a strong supporter of Ukraine in the war between Ukraine and Russia, and is currently aiming to deprive Putin of any and all abilities to continue his assault on the small nation.
In addition, both Russia and North Korea have the common goal of weakening sanctions set forth by the Security Council and appear to have no intention of following those sanctions, as demonstrated by North Korea’s launch of two ballistic missiles off of their shore, as reported by AP News. In recent years, North Korea has continued to launch ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles despite sanctions from recent years preventing such an action from occurring. Russia has also demonstrated disregard for its imposed sanctions through the continual trade and production of war-time materials.
Despite what the Russian and North Korean governments claim, the U.S. believes there is enough criminal activity set forth by these nations in order to find some concern in their behavior. In Nov. 2022, an intercontinental ballistic missile was tested by North Korea, which according to the Japanese government, could have easily reached the U.S. mainland should it have followed a lower trajectory.
While there is not much to be done about this impending crisis, the U.S. government is doing its best to keep its people safe in the coming days through using a diplomatic approach to remain uninvolved in the relations of North Korea and Russia.
