How to counter the West: Russia is trying to build a coalition with Iran, North Korea and China – ISW

Russia is trying to create a coalition to counter the West/Collage 24 Channel

While the United States is dragging its feet on providing aid to Ukraine, Russia is working to build a coalition with its allies. As noted by the Institute for the Study of War, we are talking about Iran, North Korea and China.

The report notes that the Kremlin continues to create a coalition in counterbalance to the West. To do this, it maintains bilateral relations with Iran, North Korea and China.

What is known about the creation of the coalition

The Institute writes that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko met with China’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming in Moscow on March 19. The goal is to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It is known that Rudenko and Liu accused the United States and its allies of threatening the military situation in Northeast Asia. In addition, they warned Washington against the spread of “bloc thinking” in the style of the Cold War.

It is also noted that Russia has intensified relations with North Korea. She received ballistic missiles from her, as well as artillery ammunition, in exchange for likely technological cooperation, as well as other unspecified support for the country.

Igor Morgulov, the Russian Ambassador to China, held an additional meeting with the head of the Chinese news agency Xinhua Fu Hua. The goal is to discuss bilateral cooperation in the field of media.

And that is not all. The Institute’s report states that on March 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin. They discussed bilateral cooperation between states. Raisi himself confirmed that he was ready to help Russia stabilize the South Caucasus region. He probably had in mind the events taking place in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Institute observers note that Russia’s desire to strengthen political and diplomatic bilateral relations with Beijing, the use of bilateral relations with Iran and North Korea for military purposes is an example of “bloc thinking.” The same thing that the United States and its allies accused Liu and Rudenko of.

The Institute writes that the Kremlin used the war against Ukraine to establish bilateral relations, as well as to create a coalition of states in opposition to the West, which has long been considered a central aspect of Russian foreign policy.

Briefly about the latest news about Russia's allies

• The day before, the media wrote that the DPRK sent thousands of containers with military aid to Russia. South Korea believes that since 2023, about 7 thousand containers with ammunition and other military equipment have been sent to the aggressor country.
• Meanwhile, the United States warned Iran against selling Russian ballistic weapons. They emphasized that the response would be “quick and brutal.”
• It also became known that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit another state for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It is known that the Chinese leader will come to France to hold talks with Emmanuel Macron.