North Korea is seeking Russian aid for its nuclear weapons programs in exchange for munitions that can be used against Ukraine, U.S. lawmakers were told on Oct. 4 during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing.
Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to receive “substantial and significant support [for] North Korea’s weapons programs” from Russia.
US Failing to Slow Military Cooperation
Mr. Cha’s comments follow last month’s historic summit between Mr. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which the two leaders discussed military issues, North Korea’s budding satellite program, and Ukraine.It’s widely believed that the summit served as a key negotiating round between the two nations, with North Korea seeking research and technological assistance for its weapons programs and Russia seeking munitions to shore up its dwindling stockpiles in Ukraine.
North Korea is likely to use the opportunity to make great gains in its weapons technology because the hermit nation now has some leverage over Russia for the first time, according to Mr. Cha.
“Putin needs fresh supplies [like] ammunition from North Korea to prosecute this unjust war in Ukraine,“ he said. ”That gives Kim Jong Un a lot of leverage.”
To that end, Mr. Cha warned that the current U.S. diplomatic strategy would likely fail to deter North Korea and Russia from pursuing greater military cooperation.
He also noted that current attempts at denuclearizing North Korea appeared to be a nonstarter.
“We have been trying to deal with North Korea [diplomatically] since Ronald Reagan and have been unsuccessful,” Mr. Cha said.
“I don’t want to sound skeptical, but I think that it’s very difficult to imagine a deal that would satisfy us that could be had with the current regime in North Korea.”
Invasion Emboldened China, North Korea
Mr. Cha said Russia’s attempted conquest of Ukraine and its ongoing perseverance in that conflict was emboldening other authoritarian powers, including the communist regimes of both China and North Korea.“The war in Europe really has changed everything, not just in Europe but also in Asia,” he said.
“The unthinkable—such as war in the Taiwan Strait or the Korean Peninsula—has now become possible.”
Mr. Cha said all three powers were increasingly cooperating with one another in an apparent effort to challenge the United States and the greater international order that it leads.
The result is a destabilized political order with an increased likelihood of military conflict between states, he said.
“China’s massive nuclear buildup, North Korea’s drive to become a nuclear-weapons state the size of France, and most of all Russia’s war in Europe has fundamentally changed the security environment in the region and on the peninsula in ways that have compelled countries who support the peaceful status quo to respond,” Mr. Cha said.
Continued U.S. support of its allies, including South Korea, is vital to preventing more wars from erupting, he said.
Likewise, according to Mr. Cha, the United States would suffer a “major impact” on its credibility on the world stage if it pulled back on its support for Ukraine.
Still, he said, the United States could seek further assistance from its allies as well.
South Korea has thus far provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, but not direct lethal aid, according to Mr. Cha.
The United States should not only give to Ukraine but rally support from such allies as well, he said.
