Putin In North Korea, Solidifies Anti-West Cooperation With Kim

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on his first visit to the country in 24 years. He was greeted with streets decked out in Putin portraits, Russian flags, and banners - one of which read on the side of a building, "We warmly welcome the President of the Russian Federation."

Putin in an op-ed piece published in state media just before his arrival said he appreciates North Korea's firm backing and support related to the Ukraine conflict. He emphasized both countries will continue to "resolutely oppose" the West's ambitions "to hinder the establishment of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty, considering each other’s interests."

He wrote that the two countries will work to establish trade and payment systems "that are not controlled by the West" while jointly resisting US-led sanctions, which he called "illegal, unilateral restrictions."

"Russia has incessantly supported and will support the DPRK and the heroic Korean people in their struggle against the treacherous, dangerous and aggressive enemy, in their fight for independence, identity and the right to freely choose their development path," Putin wrote.

Putin is staying a day and a night before traveling to Vietnam for a state visit. "The program is very full," described Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov. "A considerable amount of time will be dedicated to informal contacts between the leaders, as these negotiations … will contain the most important and most sensitive questions." FM Lavrov and a number of top ministers, including Russia's defense chief, are in the delegation.

Ushakov outlined it's expected that a "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty" which seeks future cooperation on "security issues" will be signed. This comes after Kim Jong Un is widely reported to have supplied Russia's military with millions of rounds of Soviet-era artillery munitions, along with ballistic missile parts and other equipment for use on the Ukrainian battlefield.

White House national security council spokesman John Kirby said in a Monday briefing, "We’re not concerned about the trip" - but added, "What we are concerned about is the deepening relationship between these two countries."

He underscored that US concerns are not only that "North Korean ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets, but because there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean peninsula."

As for the potential for a military treaty, the Seoul-based Yonhap news gives the following background:

Analysts said Kim and Putin may adopt a joint declaration that calls for both sides to elevate the level of military, security and economic cooperation but saw a low possibility of them clinching a treaty akin to a military alliance. North Korea and the former Soviet Union signed a treaty of friendship and mutual assistance in 1961, when the North's national founder Kim Il-sung visited Moscow.

The treaty included a provision for the so-called automatic military intervention, under which if one side is under an armed attack, the other provides military troops and other aid without hesitation. But the deal was scrapped in 1996 after the Soviet Union established diplomatic ties with South Korea in 1990 and collapsed the following year.

On Tuesday morning, just as Putin's plane was en route to Pyongyang, there was a rare live fire border incident, which we detailed earlier. Some 20 to 30 North Korean troops 'accidentally' entered the South Korean side of the border, resulting in warning shots fired. The north reportedly did not return fire, and the incident quickly deescalated; however, there were some reports that a land mine may have detonated. 

In the wake of the dangerous border incident, the Daily Beast somewhat absurdly posed in a headline, "Is Kim Jong Un Starting a War to Impress Visiting Friend Vladimir Putin?!"