Russia is strengthening cooperation with North Korea. It is possible to influence this, but there are certain nuances. About this Channel 24 said political scientist Vladimir Fesenko, noting that cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is similar to interaction with Iran. But it is easier for the world to influence Tehran than North Korea. The West has long used sanctions mechanisms against Iran. But there were negotiations on the nuclear program. Iran was interested in certain compromises. True, so far this topic has slowed down somewhat. The West does not yet want to tighten tough sanctions pressure on Iran. I would say everything because there is a certain risk due to the difficult situation in the Middle East. The intensification of the conflict with Iran may entail the development of the scale of conflicts around Israel and Palestine. There are also Houthis in the Red Sea and so on,” Fesenko said.
Why is everything more complicated with North Korea< /h2>
As Fesenko noted, the global sanctions mechanism has been in effect against the DPRK for a long time. And it’s difficult to strengthen something there. At the same time, North Korea has a trade window through China. And, unfortunately, the West turns a blind eye to this.
China largely economically supports the DPRK. And, given the current situation, a direct military-political alliance was created between Russia and the DPRK. There is a great danger in this. And it is impossible to interfere, because there is a direct border between the DPRK and Russia. Nobody will stop them from trading. Also, both Russia and North Korea have nuclear weapons. Therefore, you can’t even carry out a naval blockade,” Fesenko noted.
If you make a naval blockade, the risk of a military conflict increases. Therefore, most likely, sanctions will be tightened against Russian companies that are involved in this. The West should also increase military assistance to Ukraine. We are talking about air defense, and long-range weapons, and electronic warfare equipment, etc.
We need to help Ukraine in the fight against the Russian aggression. And at the same time restore the military potential of Western countries. Export controls should also be strengthened. Iran, North Korea and Russia have learned to circumvent sanctions, noted Fesenko.
Cooperation between Russia and North Korea: briefly
- North Korea is actively cooperating with Russia. In December 2023, it was known that the DPRK provided the occupiers with thousands of containers with various equipment and ammunition.
- Now it became known that the DPRK also transferred ballistic missiles to Russia. Earlier, Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin confirmed that the invaders had already fired such missiles at Ukraine.
- The Main Intelligence Directorate commented on the cooperation between Russia and the DPRK. It is known that they transferred more than just ballistic missiles.
