Putin’s visit to Pyongyang bolsters Russian firepower in Ukraine with North Korean munitions and elevates Kim in the eyes of his people and internationally.

It was the first visit of the Russian president to North Korea in 24 years, under completely different circumstances. Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has entered its third year, and Putin, who is wanted on an international arrest warrant, cannot travel everywhere. So he necessarily seeks openings and alliances in countries that he knows are not in danger. Putin was greeted with cheers in Pyongyang. An honor guard and crowds of people gathered at the central Kim Il Sung Square, as videos broadcast by Russian media showed. Children waved balloons and huge portraits of the two men with the national flags of the two countries adorned the central building of the square. “The meeting proves the invincible character and duration of friendship and unity between North Korea and Russia,” North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said.

“Symbolic Significance”

Speaking on Reuters TV, Park Won-Gon, professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womens University, a private university in Seoul, said the visit was very important not only for Putin, but also for Kim Jong Un. “The main feature of this North Korea-Russia summit is its symbolic importance,” he emphasized. “From Kim Jong Un’s point of view, Putin’s visit to North Korea was necessary to escape diplomatic isolation and his image as a pariah state in the international community. I think that is why he planned this summit as a big political event, as it was also a good opportunity to show his achievements to the North Korean people, which are different from his predecessors “. Moscow and Pyongyang announced a new defense pact, which includes “mutual assistance in the event of an attack against one of the parties to this treaty,” according to Putin.

He did not even rule out a military-technical cooperation with North Korea. For his part, Kim underlined “unconditional support and firm alliance” in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Perhaps this confirms information from US and Ukrainian sources that North Korea has supplied artillery shells and even ballistic missiles to be used in the war against Ukraine, while Russia has reportedly provided military and satellite technology assistance. Both sides, however, denied the information, because it would mean violating the arms embargo that the UN has imposed against North Korea.

Is Kim moving away from China?

Last week, however, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said his country had detected up to 10,000 containers being transported from North Korea to Russia, which could contain up to 4.8 million artillery shells. In an interview with Bloomberg, Won-sik said Putin is likely to ask for more during his visit to Pyongyang. A previous US intelligence report said there were “at least 3 million” North Korean missiles delivered to Russia. If this information is confirmed, it would give a huge military advantage to Russia in the war of attrition against Ukraine. Speaking to Russia’s Deutsche Welle, Austrian military expert Wolfgang Richter pointed out that Kiev’s EU allies have failed to deliver even one million missiles to Ukraine within their self-imposed one-year deadline.

The support Kim extended to his high-ranking guest did not go unrequited. The Russian president has not only pledged to defend Pyongyang in the event of an attack, but will also provide energy and expertise to improve the country’s dire economic situation and military arsenal. Analysts say Russian cooperation with North Korea is closer than with its traditional ally and patron, China. Which seems to have made Kim more aggressive towards South Korea. The new defense alliance Russia-B. Korea, however, causes concern in NATO. “We have to realize that the authoritarian powers are coming closer and supporting each other in a way that we have never seen before,” U.S. Secretary Jens Stoltenberg told a panel of speakers during an official visit to Ottawa.

Reuters TN, AP, DPA, DW