If the question is what Russia gives North Korea for entering Ukraine, the US has the answer: turn it into a global threat

That Russia and North Korea form a great alliance is beyond any doubt, as their top leaders demonstrate every time they have the opportunity. However, the scope of this relationship after the incursion of North Korean troops into Ukraine does have more edges. Until now, we knew that Russia had supplied Pyongyang with everything from animals to artillery to crude oil above international legality. Now the United States has slipped two more “gifts” that would make the North Korean army a more complete force.

An alliance with military implications. The United States warned a few hours ago that North Korea is getting something it lacked until now: significant military experience fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine, making it “more capable of waging wars against its neighbors.”

In the words of Dorothy Camille Shea, deputy representative of the United States to the UN, More than 12,000 North Korean soldiers are currently fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, benefiting from access to experienced Russian military equipment, technology and training. This experience could allow Pyongyang to not only improve its defense capabilities, but also expand your arms sales market and global military training contracts. But there is much more.

Satellite technology. It is the other warning that the United States has issued. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned at a conference that Russia could be directing its efforts in share advanced satellite technology with North Koreaafter Pyongyang’s military support in the war.

Blinken went a little furtherconfirming that North Korea already receives military equipment and training from Moscow and who have evidence that ammunition and missiles have been transferred to Russian forces, despite denials from both governments. This collaboration raises serious international concerns, as could strengthen North Korean military capabilities and violate global sanctionswhich aggravates the threat in the Asian region. In the background: the “nuclear”.

Impact on global security. What the United States Secretary of State says would make a lot of sense considering the history of the North Koreans. North Korea’s satellite program plagued with failed attemptscould benefit greatly from Russian technical support. Although Kim Jong Un announced the success of a military spy satellite in November 2023, its progress has been rather limited.

There is also no doubt, with Russian help Pyongyang could strengthen its ability to identify targets and launch missiles with greater precisionposing serious threats to security in Asia and the world. Still, some experts, as Marco Langbroeksuggest that it is possible that a better recognition system could reduce North Korea’s own paranoia and prevent miscalculations.

An exchange and its implications. We have been talking about it in recent months. Russia and North Korea have deepened their cooperation in the last year, with reports indicating the exchange of raw materials, food, crude oil and technical know-how for North Korean ammunition and missiles, seen on Ukrainian battlefields.

In addition, thousands of North Korean soldiers have been deployed in support of Russian forces, which Blinken has highlighted as one of the main factors that allow the continuation of the war in Ukraine. Last but not least, the relationship could also lead Putin to a change in Moscow’s historical stance regarding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by formally recognizing North Korea as a nuclear power, a move that, then yes, It would mark a radical change in international politics and exacerbate global tensions.

The future of war. The Ukrainian president has reiterated that any ceasefire would require guarantees security for their territories, Western arms support and possible partial membership in NATO.

Zelensky has also highlighted that “Trump’s strength” will be key to resolving the conflict and assured that only with continued military support will Ukraine be able to face future threats from Russia. By the way, also highlighted the crucial role of Elon Muskwhose Starlink system has been vital for battlefield communications.

The nuclear. Be that as it may, the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea poses significant geopolitical risks, with the possibility of Pyongyang accelerating those nuclear and technological ambitions. Despite sanctions imposed by the UN since 2006 to stop North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic development, Russian support complicates the situation. With Moscow exercising its veto power in the Security Council, any attempt at new punitive measures seems, a priori, unlikely.

All this while the United States and its allies appear to be cautiously observing a conflict that remains a critical point on the international scene, with potentially devastating implications for global stability.

Image | Office of the President of the Russian Federation

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