2024-06-25 22:44:52
Russian chief Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un for his hospitality on Monday after getting back from his Asian journey, describing the 2 international locations’ relations as “unprecedentedly wonderful”. In Pyongyang, politicians agreed on mutually helpful arms provides. As anticipated, South Korea reacts with disapproval and concern.
Kim and Putin agreed that the North Koreans would provide Moscow with artillery ammunition, whereas Russia would supply the DPRK superior expertise for its arms trade.
The Overseas Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul, Georgy Zinoviev, to clarify to him the protest towards the Kremlin’s intention to construct a strategic partnership with Kim. Previously, Russia took half in worldwide conferences on the disarmament of North Korea, the so-called six-party talks, alongside representatives of each Korean states, the US, China and Japan.
The South Koreans went even additional than simply on a diplomatic notice. The federal government has introduced it’s contemplating a transfer it has thus far rejected. Provide weapons to Ukraine. It might be a major assist for the nation, which is dealing with Russian aggression for the third 12 months.
South Korea’s arms trade is among the many largest and most superior on this planet, which isn’t stunning given the nation’s fixed acute menace of battle, but additionally its long-term environment friendly fashionable economic system. South Korea has an enormous stockpile of 105-millimeter ammunition, most likely between three and 4 million items, in keeping with an evaluation by the Washington-based Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research.
The Ukrainians would use this ammunition for his or her howitzers, and so they additionally want 155 millimeter artillery shells. In keeping with the aforementioned evaluation, South Korea doesn’t have that many, probably solely within the order of tons of of 1000’s of items.
“It’s tough for South Korea to surrender its 155-millimeter shells, as it will danger its scarcity in its personal wrestle for survival. Like Ukraine, it faces a threatening and hostile neighbor and has restricted ammunition reserves,” the middle stated. That is apparently alluding to the primary drawback within the provide of South Korean weapons to Ukraine – Seoul itself should count on battle and will need to have provides to defend and deter the enemy.
Final 12 months, it despatched 300,000 items of 155-millimeter ammunition to the US. The Individuals changed their arsenal with them, which they despatched to Kiev. To date, South Korea has not delivered something on to Ukraine. Poland is more and more specializing in the Asian nation, which is shopping for tons of of South Korean K2 tanks, and is even speaking about beginning to produce these fight autos underneath license. Numerous sources unofficially record South Korea as one of many international locations from which European Union and NATO states buy ammunition as a part of the so-called Czech initiative for Ukraine. Nonetheless, the Czech Republic doesn’t touch upon this.
The rapprochement between Moscow and Pyongyang may be referred to as, with exaggeration, a return to the roots. North Korea was created by the need of former chief Joseph Stalin, as a result of the Soviet military occupied the north of the peninsula on the finish of World Battle II and refused to barter with the Individuals – who managed the south – for unification. The Soviet Union was a serious commerce and arms companion for the next decade.
The turning level got here in 1990, when the Soviet Union diplomatically acknowledged South Korea and drastically decreased assist to the DPRK. However from 2022, South Korea is on Russia’s record of forty-nine states that the Kremlin describes as “enemy international locations”. From Asia, it additionally options Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.
Video: Putin appeared in Pyongyang after 24 years (6/20/2024)
Vladimir Putin visited Kim Jong-un: he took him for a journey, they strengthened relations with canines, horses and meals | Video: Reuters