On Sept. 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un met for a five-hour meeting at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome — a new site that may allow Russia to domestically launch its own probes.
Putin and Jong Un came to this meeting to discuss contemporary issues affecting both nations. The Ukrainian invasion has forced Russia to face the grinding reality of the war, which has created shortages in their ammunition supplies.
To combat this shortage, Putin is seeking to find suppliers for ammunition. To this end, Putin is seeking these negotiations to acquire ammunition from North Korea.
While both sides of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine have struggled with ammunition shortages, Ukraine has relied on support from the U.S. and NATO, who have had their own issues maintaining enough supplies to Ukraine. At the same time, Russia has had to rely on the few options for suppliers available to them.
With acquiring enough ammunition — specifically artillery shells, which have seen some of the greatest shortages — is the primary goal for Putin in this meeting, a deal was struck that would see ammunition sent from North Korea to Russia. It’s unclear when North Korean ammunition will make it to Russia or how much ammunition North Korea has to give.
Jong Un sought better ballistic weapons and space technology from his meeting with Putin. Jong Un hoped to gain expertise, allowing North Korea to launch satellites and possibly people into space.
While North Korea’s ballistic and nuclear weapons programs often garner considerable public attention, the country has also shown an interest in space, with two failed attempts at launching spy satellites.
It is uncertain how much Russia can or will assist North Korea’s ballistic missile and space program, especially since such aid could violate multiple U.N. resolutions.
Russia and North Korea have very few friendly countries with the means to help them. Many countries that would have the means to help have sanctions on Russia or North Korea or both.
Jong Un had much to say regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the meeting.
“Russia has risen to a sacred fight to its sovereignty and security against the hegemonic forces,” Jong Un said at the meeting, according to ABC News.
While Ukraine or the U.S. was not directly mentioned, Jong Un’s statement seems to support the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Jong Un’s verbal support for the Ukrainian War shows a geopolitical alignment between Russia and North Korea. While only one calls itself communist, they both seem more concerned with stopping what they see as the expansionism and hegemony of the West.
“The Russian army and people will certainly win a great victory in the sacred struggle for the punishment of a great evil that claims hegemony and feeds an expansionist illusion,” Jong Un said, according to Reuters.
This statement indicates an alliance of material interest and benefit from this partnership rather than a strong ideological commitment to one type of societal structure.
Regardless of what this meeting means for the invasion of Ukraine or North Korea’s ballistic missiles and space program ambitions, we know the ties between North Korea and Russia are strengthening for now.
