July 28th 2023.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has been making headlines lately after attending a military parade in Pyongyang led by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong. The parade, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, featured North Korea’s Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are believed to have the range to strike targets anywhere in the United States.
The parade also included a flyover by newly developed attack and spy drones. These drones could be used to survey targets in real time, conduct damage assessment in a war and generally enhance strategic situational awareness.
Shoigu and Kim then hosted a reception and had lunch, where the North Korean leader vowed solidarity with the Russian people and its military. The Russian defence minister praised the North Korean military as the strongest in the world, and the two discussed strategic security and defence cooperation.
The US has accused Pyongyang of providing weapons to Russia for its war effort in Ukraine, and State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday Washington was ‘incredibly concerned’ about ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. However, both North Korea and Russia have denied conducting any arms transactions.
Shoigu was also present at an arms fair toured by Kim and Shoigu this week in Pyongyang. North Korea has been under UN sanctions for its missile and nuclear programs since 2006, which includes a ban on the development of ballistic missiles. However, Russia and China have opposed US-led efforts to impose further sanctions on North Korea over its continued pursuit of ballistic missiles, arguing existing measures should be eased for humanitarian purposes and to help entice Pyongyang to negotiate.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric recently commented that ‘all members of Security Council and, frankly, all member states of the UN, share the same responsibility to uphold Security Council resolutions.’ However, the Chinese and Russian presence at events featuring banned ballistic missiles cast doubts on those countries’ willingness to enforce sanctions. This has caused concern among many experts, as it does not help when two permanent members of the UN Security Council openly support a North Korean regime that violates human rights and flouts resolutions banning its nuclear and missile development.
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