What concerns does NATO have when the Russian President visits North Korea?
Reuters reported that on June 18, as Russian President Vladimir Putin began his first trip to North Korea in 24 years, the head of the NATO alliance expressed concern that Russia could provide support for North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
Mr Putin, during a state visit for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, pledged to strengthen trade and security ties and support North Korea in dealing with the United States, a close ally of South Korea.
For its part, the US has accused North Korea of providing "dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 11,000 containers of ammunition to Russia" for use in Ukraine.
According to Reuters, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke at a joint press conference after talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accusing that the Russia-Ukraine war is being fueled by China, North Korea and Iran, all of whom want to see the Western alliance fail.
“Of course, we are also concerned about the potential support that Russia provides to North Korea in supporting their missile and nuclear programs,” Stoltenberg said.
This and China's support for Russia's wartime economy show how security challenges in Europe are linked to Asia, Mr Stoltenberg said, adding that next month's NATO summit in Washington will see the alliance's partnership with Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan further strengthened.
Mr Stoltenberg even said there would need to be “consequences” at some stage for China, declaring: “They cannot continue to have normal trade relations with countries in Europe and at the same time they are causing the biggest war we have seen in Europe since World War II.”
Stoltenberg said it was too early to say what those consequences might be, “but it has to be an issue that we need to address because continuing as we are is not feasible.”
On June 17, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Washington was watching the North Korea-Russia relationship "very, very closely" because "there could be some reciprocity... that could impact security on the Korean Peninsula."
On June 18, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing that the increased Russia-North Korea cooperation was "a very interesting trend for anyone concerned about maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."
She noted that statements by Mr Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at their summit in May had stressed that political and diplomatic measures were the only way to resolve the North Korean issue, adding: "We hope this is the message Mr Putin will convey to Mr Kim during their discussions."
Last week, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell also expressed Washington's concerns about what "Russia will give North Korea in exchange for the weapons Pyongyang provides."
Meanwhile, the top US arms control official, Deputy Secretary of State Bonnie Jenkins, said she believed North Korea was keen to buy fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile manufacturing equipment or materials, and other advanced technology from Russia.
