Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia:
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday inspected a Russian fighter jet factory under Western sanctions. As part of a visit to Washington and its allies, there are fears that Russia’s military in Ukraine could be strengthened and Pyongyang’s missile program boosted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim discussed military affairs, the war in Ukraine and deepening cooperation during a summit on Wednesday.
South Korea and the United States said Friday that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a violation of U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang and that the allies would ensure that a price is paid for it.
President Putin told reporters that Russia would “violate nothing” but would continue to develop relations with North Korea. His spokesman said no agreements on military issues or any other subject were signed during Kim’s visit.
Kim Jong Un, 39, on Friday visited aviation facilities in the far eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant and the Yakovlev factory, both units of the West-sanctioned United Aircraft Corporation.
At the Gagarin plant, which is also specifically approved by the United States, he inspected the assembly workshops where the Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter and Su-57 fighter are made, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, the government said.
Kim Jong Un, dressed in a suit and accompanied by uniformed North Korean military officials, was shown on Russian state television examining the cockpit of a fighter jet as Russian officials explained its capabilities through a translator.
He then inspected workshops where the fuselage compartments and wing structures of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 were made before attending a demonstration flight of the Su-35. He nodded approvingly as the hunter performed.
Russia has gone out of its way to publicize the visit and repeatedly hinted at the prospect of military cooperation with North Korea, which was formed in 1948 with the backing of the then Soviet Union.
For Putin, who says Russia is locked in an existential battle with the West over Ukraine, courting Kim Jong Un allows him to screw Washington and its Asian allies while securing a large supply of artillery for the war in Ukraine set.
Washington has accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia, which has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, but it is unclear whether any deliveries have actually taken place.
American warning
The United States and South Korea appear concerned about the revival of Moscow’s friendship with Pyongyang, which they fear could give Kim Jong Un access to some of Russia’s sensitive missiles and other technology.
US and South Korean officials called on Moscow to show responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
“We have agreed to work together to ensure that a price is paid for the serious violation of Security Council resolutions,” South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin said at a news conference in Seoul.
Bonnie Jenkins, the US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, who is visiting Seoul, said the United States condemned the escalation of defense and political cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
“It is clear that recent reports of possible arms sales between North Korea and Russia are worrying. Such an arms transfer would be a violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” she said.
But it was not immediately clear what influence the United States and its Asian allies such as South Korea and Japan would have on Russia or North Korea, both of which have close ties to China.
Russian diplomats said Washington had no right to lecture Moscow after the United States supported its allies around the world, including a visit by a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to South Korea in July.
The US State Department said on Wednesday that the Biden administration would not hesitate to impose additional sanctions on Russia and North Korea if they reach new arms deals.
The Kremlin says it abides by U.N. sanctions but has the right to develop relations with neighboring countries, including on sensitive issues.
Kim arrived in Russia on his special train on Tuesday, held a summit with Putin in Vostochny on Wednesday and appeared to have spent most of Thursday traveling before appearing on Friday in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, 6,000 km east of Moscow. .
His Maybach limousine was filmed being driven onto his train in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on Friday using a special platform.
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