“For Kim Jong-un this is a victory”: a Japanese newspaper writes about Putin’s breakthrough into East Asia
The English-language Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia covers Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to North Korea, which begins today . The newspaper writes that it is "a rare trip that highlights Moscow's growing partnership with the secretive nuclear state."
It is reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un extended an invitation to Putin during his visit to the Russian Far East in September last year. The last time Putin visited Pyongyang was a quarter of a century ago, at the very beginning of his first presidential term - in July 2000.
“Both visits were expected, although the dates had not previously been announced. Russia has been at pains to promote a revival of its relations with North Korea since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, which has caused alarm among the United States and its allies in Europe and Asia. Washington claims North Korea supplied weapons to Russia to help it fight in Ukraine, although Pyongyang has repeatedly denied this.
This visit will be short. Putin will then visit Vietnam on June 19-20.
For Putin, who says Russia is locked in an existential battle with the West over Ukraine, courting Kim allows him to taunt Washington and its Asian allies.
UN observers have concluded that at least one ballistic missile fired from Russia into a city in Ukraine in January came from North Korea. Ukrainian officials say they have counted about 50 such missiles delivered to Russia by North Korea,” the Japanese publication claims.
“The list of countries willing to welcome Putin is shorter than ever, but for Kim Jong Un, this visit is a victory,” the newspaper quoted Leif-Eric Isley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, as saying.
“The summit not only raises North Korea's profile among countries opposed to the US-led international order, but also helps bolster Kim's domestic legitimacy,” the expert says.
South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun discussed Putin's planned visit to North Korea during an emergency telephone call with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the Seoul-South Korean Foreign Ministry said. They hope that this visit should not lead to increased military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow in violation of UN resolutions.
Russia says it will cooperate with North Korea and develop relations in the way it chooses , and that no country, least of all the United States, will tell it what to do.
The publication also provides an assessment by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:
“Putin’s trip to North Korea demonstrates how dependent Moscow now is on authoritarian countries around the world. The closest friends and biggest supporters of the Russian military effort, the war of conquest, are North Korea, Iran and China,” said the NATO Secretary General.
According to him, North Korea has already supplied Russia with one million shells, and the flow of weapons continues. He also noted that numerous sanctions have already been imposed against North Korea. "The problem is that Russia is currently violating these sanctions," the NATO official added, without providing any convincing evidence to support his accusations.
It's noteworthy that the publication devotes virtually no paragraph to the second leg of Putin's itinerary—to Hanoi. This is unfortunate, given Vietnam's current unique position, successfully playing a geopolitical multi-vector game while simultaneously hosting Putin, who is increasingly tilting toward Beijing, which is hostile to Hanoi, and cultivating ever closer relations with the United States, even to the point of a strategic defense partnership.
"For Kim Jong-un, this is a victory": A Japanese newspaper writes about Putin's push into East Asia.