Why a Brewing Alliance Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un Makes Me So Nervous

A Russia-North Korea arms deal is in the works. This is really bad!

The last time they met, in 2019

I’ll admit that my 2023 Bingo Card did not have Vladimir Putin turning to North Korea to supply weapons for his invasion of Europe. Yet, the latest news suggests that such an alliance may be in the works.

Citing US government intelligence reports, the New York Times revealed this week that Kim Jong Un is planning to visit Vladivostok, the Pacific coast city in far eastern Russia that is just an armored train ride away from Pyongyang. Kim and Putin are to meet on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, which kicks off on Sunday. On the agenda: securing a deal in which North Korea would send munitions to Russia in exchange for missile technology and food aid.

The two leaders have met before—in 2019. But the context and circumstances of this meeting portend a much deeper alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang.

In July, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea to meet with Kim. Moscow was apparently searching for an ally — and access to North Korea’s vast stockpiles of munitions compatible with Russian artillery systems used in Ukraine. This was the first time a Russian Defense Minister set foot in North Korea since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and he reportedly delivered a letter in which Putin personally invited Kim to Russia. Weeks later, a North Korean delegation left for Russia to law the groundwork for a Putin-Kim summit, which could happen as early as September 10.

There is now mounting evidence of an imminent arms deal between North Korea and Russia in which each side would benefit: Russia needs North Korean munitions; North Korea needs Russian missile know-how, and food. Putin and Kim may distrust each other, but for now their interests align.

Should this deal go through it would upend 15 years of diplomacy to forestall North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The Korean Peninsula would suddenly become a much more dangerous place. And the United States would face an overt alliance between two adversaries whose nuclear weapons are pointed to the US homeland.