The State Duma ratified the treaty on 'comprehensive strategic partnership' with North Korea, which provides for military assistance. The treaty was signed in Pyongyang in June and was submitted for ratification to the State Duma by Vladimir Putin in October.
According to the document, Russia and North Korea commit to provide each other with military assistance if one of the countries 'is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and thus finds itself in a state of war'. The ratification law was adopted unanimously, with 397 deputies voting 'for', notes the 'Parliamentary Newspaper'.
On Wednesday, the United States for the first time stated that they had obtained evidence that North Korea sent 3,000 military personnel to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, which could signify a significant escalation of Russia's war against its neighbor.
The US established that North Korean soldiers were transported by ship in early to mid-October from the North Korean region of Wonsan to Vladivostok, after which they were delivered to three military bases in eastern Russia.
North Korea's decision to send thousands of military personnel to Russia to fight against Ukraine adds tension not only to relations between North and South Korea but also to relations between Pyongyang and Beijing, which were considered partners and celebrated their 75th anniversary in early October, writes The New York Times.
China was frustrated by the instability Pyongyang is sowing in Northeast Asia with its nuclear weapons program and periodic threats to destroy South Korea. Now North Korea is fueling war in Europe, which could deepen the broader confrontation over the global order. China is trying to present itself as a champion of peace and to contrast itself with the United States, which it accuses of trying to start a new cold war. The prospect of soldiers from China's only treaty ally fighting Western-backed forces on behalf of one of Beijing's closest partners undermines this image.
According to analysts interviewed by the publication, another cause for concern for the Chinese leadership could be the exchange of military technologies between Russia and North Korea in exchange for troop deployment. This could push the North towards more aggressive actions against South Korea or Japan while reducing Beijing's ability to influence the hermit state, even if it relies on China for trade and aid. North Korea's provocative behavior has already affected the trilateral security alliance between the US, Japan, and South Korea, signed last year at Camp David. This pact, which China compared to an Asian NATO, heightened Beijing's sense that it is being constrained and surrounded by the United States and its allies.
As noted by NYT, questions about whether Beijing knew in advance about Pyongyang's plans will persist for a long time, as will ongoing speculations about whether it knew in advance about Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Photo: KCNA via REUTERS