Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un signed the strongest agreement between their respective countries in decades.
Their strategic partnership has been revived because each of their countries has been shunned by the West and pressured by sanctions. In the case of Russia, this has especially been the case following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The meeting between Putin and Kim reflects a larger trend across the world: A patchwork of alliances among dictatorships is emerging, with the clear intent to challenge America’s global leadership.
Their meeting began with Putin thanking Kim for North Korea’s support in their shared “fight against the imperialist hegemonistic policies of the U.S. and its satellites” — a clear demonstration of their intent to challenge the West.
Kim proclaimed his “fiery friendship” with Putin brings the countries closer now than during the Cold War and pledged “full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity.”
The agreement includes a security clause that stipulates that if either country is attacked, the other will come to its defense.
The invasion of Ukraine marked a key turning point in the relationship between Russia and North Korea.
In 2022, North Korea became the third country to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, two Russian-occupied regions in eastern Ukraine. In response, Ukraine cut official ties with North Korea. Since then, Moscow has purchased millions of munitions from Pyongyang to use in Ukraine.
In February 2024, Russia and North Korea further demonstrated their growing alliance by sending North Korean workers to support the Russian workforce. This is a direct violation of UN sanctions that prohibit the employment of North Korean laborers.
This week, Pyongyang allegedly pledged to send military troops to Ukraine within the month.
These negotiations underscore Russia’s frantic efforts to win allies from the few possible candidates who remain.
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During the Cold War, Stalin would never have visited North Korea to prop up Kim Il-sung’s regime.
Yet today, Putin’s Russia is significantly more vulnerable, forcing him to resort to building up relations with a country as fundamentally broken as North Korea
Putin is isolated and desperate.
