Vladimir Putin’s willingness to overlook Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions speaks to his focus on Ukraine victory
Vladimir Putin told state TV after his meetings with Kim Jong Un that Russia remained fully in compliance with the “restrictions” on military cooperation with North Korea.
“But there are things, of course, that we can talk about,” he said.
The West is worried this was an arms deal – North Korean munitions in exchange for Russian military-technical know-how, with a bit of humanitarian aid thrown in.
Putin offers Kim limo ride; pair’s body language analysed – latest updates
And whatever Mr Putin says, actions speak louder than words.
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On Thursday, Kim Jong Un will be taken on a tour of Russian civilian and military aviation factories, he will be treated to a display by Russia’s Pacific fleet, and will visit a lab focused on marine biology. Same applies.
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“The meeting at the cosmodrome is a bold hint to the West that North Korea, which has nuclear warheads will, thanks to Russia, also have a means of guaranteeing their delivery.”
That was the comment from Moskovsky Komsomolets, a state tabloid, which does not make for sanguine reading.
Garnering weapons and ammunition from North Korea may help Russia prolong its war but enabling North Korea to enhance its missile programme is hardly in Mr Putin’s interests.
Mr Putin knows that Kim Jong Un is a dangerous man and that the world will be ill-served if his missiles can deliver nuclear warheads the world over. The fact he appears prepared to overlook that speaks to his myopic focus on victory in Ukraine at the expense of his own country’s long-term interests.