The Bottom Line Upfront

South Korea and the United States are closely monitoring a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.

International concern grew over the two states'  military cooperation, which is anticipated to replenish Russia's war effort in Ukraine even as potential peace talks moved ahead with the absence of Russia and China as deliberators. This decided absence of two major influences over the conflict in a summit where 78 nations engaged has been called out by critics, who warn this vacuum may mean talks ahead of the summit were dead on arrival in Switzerland, and will not yield real progress.s

The Breakdown

  • Russia's visit to North Korea reportedly centers around its need to replenish munitions.
  • Conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been chronic, and, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is open to negotiating peace if Russia will leave Ukraine, Russia is unwilling to discuss peace, demanding annexed lands in exchange for ceasefire terms. These are conditions Ukraine has refused. As this conflict remains centric to world security strain, the deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea add a compounding dynamic to the problem.
  • Continued cooperation between the sanctioned states will violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, posing new geopolitical challenges.
  • A prior visit by Kim to Russia included examining weapons and touring military facilities.
  • Despite past sanctions support, Russia now aligns with North Korea against Western influence.
  • The relationship is expected to solidify around joint interests such as satellite programs.