Introduction
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, extended an invitation to the Russian President for a reciprocal visit during his September 2023 visit. Vladimir Putin began his Asia tour in June, first to North Korea on June 18-19 and then to Vietnam from June 19-20, at the request of the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong. All of it was a message to the world that, despite his isolation, Putin is still respected in some regions of the world for his patronage. The recent visits have triggered a serious response from the United States and its allies.
To North Korea
The Asia tour marked renewed relations between Russia’s Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and Vietnam’s Nguyen Phu Trong. Due to an international arrest order issued by the International Criminal Court for his invasion of Ukraine, Putin has been excluded from numerous international conferences and faces possible arrest in many countries. However, Pyongyang gave the increasingly reclusive Russian President a rousing greeting on Wednesday.
Putin’s enormous portrait graced one side of Kim Il Sung Square. and the Kremlin leader’s posters lined the streets, with children waving Russian flags. He was personally received by Kim Jong Un, and large-scale preparations were made by North Korea. Both nations signed new agreements, and a comprehensive strategic partnership pact particularly bolstered the relations between the two countries. According to the pact, both nations will respond and assist each other if any armed aggression is made against either which is somehow like NATO’s Article V.
The Chairman of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un stated: “I feel honored and proud that I, as Chairman of State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin accomplished an event of enormous strategic weight and significance in the name of the two nations.”
“This state visit has special significance because it has elevated relations between Moscow and Pyongyang to an unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership. From this point forward, our nations will have new opportunities for productive collaboration in a wide range of fields,” said President Putin.
Additionally, both countries signed intergovernmental agreements to collaborate in the areas of healthcare, research, and medical education as well as to build a trans-border road bridge. Moreover, Kim Jong Un also showed North Korea’s complete support of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, supporting any measures by Russia to protect its people and the territorial integrity of the nation.
Putin also highlighted the Soviet Union’s contribution to the Korean War, and he also laid a wreath on the Liberation Monument. He further stated that both Russia and North Korea consistently defend the idea of creating a more just and democratic multipolar world order.
To Vietnam
After concluding the visit to North Korea, President Putin landed in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The Russian leader met with the Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and the country’s new President To Lam.
Several bilateral agreements were signed during the state visit, encompassing several areas of cooperation such as science and higher education, the development of laboratory infrastructure to combat epidemics, tax policy and administration, the fight against customs offenses, the building of the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology in Vietnam, the development of Block 11–2 of Vietnam’s continental shelf, collaboration between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the BVIM Fund, and cooperation between Russia’s Novatek and the Petrovietnam Oil and Gas Corporation.
Both nations agreed to strengthen political trust, not interfere in each other’s diplomatic affairs, and will not sign any treaties that undermine the sovereignty of the two nations. Furthermore, they agreed to promote economic cooperation such as the need for free trade between Vietnam and EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union). President To Lam said “The 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the Principles of Friendly Relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation makes this visit especially significant. Our nations have established a comprehensive strategic relationship and share long-standing friendships”. President Putin highlighted the shared history of both countries and emphasized the contribution of the Soviet Union to the development of Vietnam. He also laid wreaths at the War Memorial and Hu Chi Minh Mausoleum. Mr. Putin concluded the discussion of the situation in the Asia-Pacific region by saying that closed military-political blocs had no place in the region and that there was a common goal to build a strong and reliable security architecture based on the ideas of non-use of force and peaceful resolution of dispute.
Implications
The recent grand Asia tour of Putin greatly alarmed the United States and its allies. Matthew Miller, Spokesperson US Department of State, stated that arming Pyongyang with Russian weaponry would destabilize the Korean peninsula. Furthermore, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and South Korea’s foreign ministry said that the deal between Russia and North Korea poses a “serious threat” to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.
Blinken also stated that the US would take “various measures” in retaliation. Additionally, South Korea also claimed that they would supply Ukraine with military aid if Russia supplied Pyongyang with advanced military technology. Various reports are claiming the use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine and the use of Russian technology in North Korean missiles. For example, reports claim that North Korea provided the ballistic missiles used by Russia against Ukraine.
In 2023, North Korea fired the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 missile for the first time. After evaluating the form and color of the smoke near the tail of the missile, analysts claim these technologies to have come from Russia. However, both Russia and North Korea denied having any armament deals. Many Western leaders are talking about the possibility of the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine. Surprisingly, China has kept its distance from the Russian and North Korean military alliance. According to Tong Zhao of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the main reason is that the growing cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang will undermine the Chinese monopoly of geopolitical influence over the Korean Peninsula.
On the other hand, Vietnam is non-aligned, maintaining balanced relations with both Russia and the US, but Vietnam is dependent on the Russian fossil fuels which forces it to lean toward Russia. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, visited Vietnam shortly after Putin’s visit and claimed that US-Vietnam relations were at an all-time high.
Conclusion
The Asia tour of President Vladimir Putin significantly improved the cooperation between Russia and its old allies North Korea and Vietnam. The signing of various bilateral agreements in multiple fields demonstrates enhanced cooperation. Additionally, the establishment of a new defense pact raised serious concerns and condemnation from the United States and its allies.
The recent visit has triggered a new great game of influence in the region where Russia and the United States will provide their allies with the necessary support. The US aircraft carrier’s visit to South Korea as a show of force and the US diplomat’s visit to Vietnam demonstrate the beginning of the great game of influence in Asia. Francis Fukuyama had said that the end of the Cold War was the end of history, but that is not the case and things are heading toward a new and more serious Cold War.
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Mr Muhammad Mudassir is a student of Bachelors of Science in Defence and Strategic Studies at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad.