Russian foreign minister praises ties with North Korea

Originally published at Europe in Review on November, 2023

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov thanked North Korea for its “unwavering” support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its official recognition of several Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine during a week-long diplomatic mission to Pyongyang.

Lavrov also declared that the Russian and North Korean bilateral relationship had reached a “qualitatively new strategic level.” [NBC] [Washington Times]

“We are fully aware that many countries worldwide share similar viewpoints and assessments, but only a select few, such as the DPRK, explicitly declare their solidarity with Russia and can express it openly,” Lavrov said, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korean munitions have become increasingly valuable for Russia, particularly due to the high demand on the Ukrainian front. The Russian army reportedly fires over 20,000 artillery shells per day in the conflict, a rate not seen in any global conflict since the Korean War. In October alone, North Korea shipped about 1,000 containers of munitions to Russia to support their invasion of Ukraine. [AP]

In addition to arms sales, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reportedly engaged in strategic bartering, trading conventional munitions from plentiful stockpiles created to fight a war on the Korean Peninsula in exchange for missile technology from Russia.

Russia is also reportedly importing hundreds of Iranian Khoramshahr missiles and Shahid drones per month to launch at Ukrainian defences. [MSN]

Russian support

Russia also appears willing to help North Korea increase its range and capability for nuclear missiles. During a visit to the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur, close to the Chinese border, on September 13, Kim declared a joint “fight against imperialism.” [Reuters]

Moreover, President Putin, who hosted the visit in person, promised to support North Korean efforts to launch a spy satellite following two earlier failed attempts this year, which could also have implications for missile technology advancement. Russia’s collaboration with North Korea in these areas suggests the potential for enhanced intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capabilities with global reach. [NPR] [NK News]

Russia has already abandoned a diplomatic understanding with the West not to transfer advanced weapons technology to other states, possibly in response to Western support for Ukraine. North Korea test-fired the Hwasong 18 ICBM in July, which appears to be nearly identical to the Russian Topol-M missile. It is a solid-fuel missile, representing a technological leap only judged possible with Russian assistance by American experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. [CSIS]

Russia is also reportedly aiding Iran’s missile program in exchange for sales of its missiles and drones. Iranian missile ranges have so far been allegedly restricted to 2000 KM by order of the Iranian government, concerned that a more extended range that would include European capitals might encourage an international response. [AP]

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced it was abdicating the Missile Technology Control Regime regarding missile technology exports to Iran on October 17. This follows Russian withdrawal on February 21 from the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that applied caps on the number of nuclear weapons the US and Russia could deploy through 2026 and from the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty on October 18. [CNN] [VOA] [Reuters]

Evidence of Russian, as well as Chinese or North Korean technical assistance, indicates that Iran may have or soon will significantly increase its missile range. Iran tested its solid-fuel rocket in a successful space launch on November 5, 2022. [Space]

(rw/gc)