Vladimir Putin heads to North Korea with war and weapons on the agenda - BBC

Firstly, Putin needs ammunition to sustain his war machine in Ukraine.

“We have to remember that he started this relationship based upon his need for artillery, ammunition and rockets for his invasion of Ukraine and he will retain these needs for some time,” says Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst at RAND Corp in the US.

Jeffrey Lewis, a North Korea expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, agrees saying: “Russia gets lots of cheap weapons, including ballistic missiles."

Beyond defence, strengthening relations with North Korea also plays into Putin’s efforts to undermine international sanctions, analysts say.

“Strengthening ties with its old Cold War partner allows Russia to undermine the international sanctions regime, counter any suggestion that the US and its allies have been able to isolate Moscow, and also add to concerns in Washington that it may have to deal with a materially strengthened North Korea,” says John Nilsson-Wright, head of the Japan and Koreas Programme at Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics.

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2024-06-18 06:26:48Z
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