Putin and Kim sign strategic partnership treaty

[MrDawn]

What are your thoughts?

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement Wednesday that pledges mutual aid if either country faces “aggression,” a strategic pact that comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West.

Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. Both leaders described it as a major upgrade of their relations, covering security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties.

The summit came as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years and the U.S. and its allies expressed growing concerns over a possible arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its war in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.

From North Korea, Putin traveled to Vietnam, where he exited his plane onto a red carpet and briefly shook hands with dignitaries while soldiers in white dress uniforms stood at attention. In Hanoi, Putin is scheduled to meet with Vietnam’s most powerful politician, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and new President To Lam, as the Russian leader seeks to strengthen ties with a longtime partner.

Russia and North Korea sign partnership deal that appears to be the strongest since the Cold War

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that pledges mutual aid if either country faces “aggression.”

apnews.com

 

[Reddington]

Aww look, the two world rejects are becoming butt buddies.

 

[Webster]

What are your thoughts?

RedState's Streiff says it best....

On the whole, this agreement does nothing to change the balance of power anywhere. North Korea is in no danger of attack from South Korea. If war did break out, South Korea could handle North Korea, and any forces Russia might be able to stick into the mix. What it does reflect is the decline of Russia's power. By treating North Korea as an equal, Russia is sliding down the geopolitical version of the socioeconomic ladder. A former client state is now its peer. Everyone will notice that China has had no such change in its relationship with North Korea. This accentuates the change in Russia's status from a Chinese ally to a Chinese junior partner, if not a client state. It also cements Putin's legacy of reducing Russia to international pariah status. Its allies are now North Korea, Iran, and the like.

In other words, Russia, but for its nukes, is no longer a peer competitor of America, but a second-tier adversary.