It’s in the interests of both
leaders – seen by many as pariahs-in-arms – to describe their new partnership
in the boldest terms.
Mr Kim calls it the
“strongest ever treaty” which will help to accelerate the creation of a “new
multipolar world”.
For Mr Putin, it’s a
“breakthrough document”.
But until a formal text is
announced, it’s hard to assess what the new deal means in practice.
For Mr Putin, it’s all about
the war in Ukraine. He needs every artillery shell and rocket he can lay his
hands on.
By South Korean estimates,
he’s already received 10,000 containers of assorted munitions from Pyongyang.
Mr Kim has his own needs,
highlighted by his country’s recent failure to put a spy satellite into orbit.
Despite sanctions, Russia can
still muster the sort of technical expertise that the North Korean leader
craves.
What will he actually get?
In his remarks, the Russian
leader said he “did not exclude the development of military-technical
cooperation with North Korea”.
That sounds like a qualified
commitment.
The two countries are clearly
upgrading their ties, to the dismay of the western world. China may also have
its concerns.
But what do the two countries
mean by “mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the
parties to this agreement”?
Perhaps the two leaders will
prefer for that to remain ominously ambiguous.
Source link : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-69124350
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Publish date : 2024-06-18 03:00:00
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