Putin's charm offensive against North Korea

Published 18 June 2024 at 07.49

Foreign. Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea – for the first time since 2000. The Russian president declares at the same time that Russia supports Pyongyang's fight against the “treacherous” West.

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Ahead of his trip to North Korea on Tuesday, Putin has written an article published in the leading North Korean daily Rodong Sinmun.

“Russia has continuously supported and will support North Korea and the heroic Korean people in their fight against the treacherous, dangerous and aggressive enemy, in their struggle for independence, identity and the right to freely choose their development path,” writes Putin.

The Russian leader also thanks North Korea for its “unwavering support” to it Russian war in Ukraine. Russia's relationship with the isolated Asian state has been strengthened by the isolation the Russians themselves have experienced since the start of the war.

Putin also describes Pyongyang as “our committed and like-minded supporters, ready to confront the collective Western ambition to prevent the rise of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty and consideration of each other's interests”.

The “rules-based order” that the US has tried to impose on the world is “nothing more than a global neo-colonial dictatorship that relies on double standards,” Putin continues.

While Kim Jong-un and North Korea's leadership have repeatedly offered to resolve differences by peaceful means, the United States has refused to live up to previous agreements and “continues to set new, all tougher and clearly unacceptable demands,” continues the Russian president.