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☆ Trump said he will divide Russia from China. It's a tough bromance to break.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

President-elect Donald Trump claims he can split the alliance between Russia and China. "The one thing you never want to happen is you never want Russia and China uniting," Trump said. These are potentially all things that Trump could use to drive a wedge between Russia and China." The Trump effectAnother factor likely to draw Russia and China closer together is Trump himself. In East Asia, Trump has accused allies of freeloading off the US, a source of tension Beijing will likely seek to exploit.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Tucker Carlson, Trump, Biden, Vladimir Putin of, Xi, China's, Putin, Stefan Wolff, Carlson, Wolff, Paul Cormarie, Jonathan Ward, Vladimir Putin, they'd, Robert Dover, Zhiqun Zhu, Cormarie Organizations: Service, Trump, University of Birmingham, Pentagon, Trade, Anadolu, Getty, Central, RAND Corporation, BI, Hudson Institute, Kremlin Press, Anadolu Agency, International Security, Hull University, NATO, Bucknell University Locations: Russia, China, Ukraine, Glendale , Arizona, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Taiwan, Russian, Bering, European, East Asia

Mr. Trump is widely regarded around the world as a transactional leader. Chinese officials do see a potential upside if Mr. Trump pulls the United States back from its role as a global leader. But the Kremlin seems skeptical that Mr. Trump would actually push for such a deal, especially because of his track record: There was jubilation in Moscow when Mr. Trump won in 2016, but over the next four years, U.S. sanctions against Russia only increased, and Mr. Trump sent antitank weapons to Ukraine. On Wednesday, he quickly made clear that he would seek to have Mr. Trump on his side, as one of the first world leaders to congratulate Mr. Trump in a post on X. Mr. Trump has been effective in demanding more military spending from fellow NATO members, said Mr. Heisbourg.

Persons: David Pierson, Trump, Donald Trump’s, India Mujib Mashal, Narendra Modi, Trump’s, Africa Abdi Latif Dahir, —, Gaza Patrick Kingsley, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Mr, Netanyahu, “, ”, Basem Naim, ” Read, Mexico Natalie Kitroeff, Claudia Sheinbaum, Read, Ukraine Anton Troianovski, J.D, Vance, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald J, Somini Sengupta, NATO Steven Erlanger, Georgina Wright, Vladimir V, Putin, François Heisbourg, Heisbourg Organizations: The Times, Global, Trump, West Bank, Second Trump, NATO, Mr, Russia, Signals, U.S, Biden, International Studies, Institut Montaigne, Republican Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, India, Asia, Africa, U.S, Russia, Niger, Chad, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Iran, Mexico, Mexico City, Stake, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, Paris, Europe, “, French

Yet days after Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, the fundamentals of the deadlocked talks remain unchanged. “Their internal dynamics will take some time,” a regional diplomatic official told CNN. The regional diplomatic source called it a “safe bet” that Sinwar’s brother Mohammed could take the lead for the hostages inside Gaza. To lead the overall organization, top Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is based in Doha, is getting backing from pro-Iran, pro-Gaza corners, the regional official said. Blinken is expected to meet with top Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, on Tuesday, amid tempered expectations he will return to Washington having made any significant progress on the hostage talks.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Yahya Sinwar, Joe Biden, Sinwar, isn’t budging, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, ” Biden, Israel, ”, John Kirby, Mohammed, Mohammed Sinwar’s, it’s, Yahya Sinwar’s, “, ” Mohammed Sinwar, Mohammad Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Khalil al, Ismail Haniyeh, Blinken, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Blinken’s, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israeli, Diplomats, Sinwar, National Security, UN Security Council, US, Saudi Crown Locations: Israel, United, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Doha, Cairo, Tehran, Qatar, Egypt, Washington, Tel Aviv, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Palestinian, Russia, United States

☆ Why China’s and Russia’s Militaries Are Training Together
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China and Russia have pressed an informal political and economic alliance against the West. Now they are stepping up the cooperation between their militaries with increasingly provocative joint war games. Days earlier, the countries held live-fire naval drills in the hotly contested South China Sea for the first time in eight years. China has been frustrated by American trade restrictions and Washington’s building of security alliances in Asia. It has pushed back by trying to court European countries with trade and building its influence among poorer countries with investments.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: China Locations: China, Russia, Alaska, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, America, United States, Asia

☆ Prisoner Deals Stoke Fears of Perverse ‘Incentive’ to Grab Americans
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

While loath to criticize any specific swap, current and former U.S. officials worry that strongmen like President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia are exploiting America’s willingness to horse-trade for its citizens. “I worry about the incentive this gives nations to abduct Americans,” said Adam Hickey, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the national security division of the U.S. Justice Department. Speaking of the trend toward hostage trades generally, he added: “I don’t see how this doesn’t lead to an escalation or increase” in the practice by foreign governments. But practical alternatives are hard to come by, Mr. Hickey and other experts concede. In response to Thursday’s deal, former President Donald J. Trump suggested that President Biden had set a “bad precedent” by paying too high a price to Mr. Putin.

Persons: —, loath, Vladimir V, Putin, gunning, ”, Adam Hickey, Hickey, Donald J, Trump, Biden Organizations: U.S . Justice Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Germany, Berlin

☆ Who Is the Russian Assassin Freed as Part of a Sweeping Prisoner Swap?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The assassination took place in broad daylight in a downtown Berlin park. The Russian gunman pedalled up on a bicycle before shooting a former Chechen separatist fighter in the head as children and their parents looked on. On Thursday, he was freed as part of the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. The deal also included numerous Russian political dissidents that the Kremlin released from jail, while Western nations traded eight Russian prisoners. Mr. Krasikov, in his late 50s, appeared to be the linchpin of the multifaceted deal, since Mr. Putin himself indicated that was whom he wanted.

Persons: pedalled, Vadim Krasikov, Vladimir V, Putin, — Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Paul Whelan, —, Krasikov Organizations: Street, U.S . Marine, Kremlin, Western Locations: Berlin, Chechen, Germany, Russia, U.S

In addition to Mr. Gershkovich, the prisoners freed by Russia included Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in 2018, and the Russian dissident Ilya Yashin, the official said. The prisoners freed by the West included Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian assassin, the Turkish official said. The deal seemed sure to prompt jubilation among Western nations that had condemned the charges against Mr. Gershkovich and others as baseless and politically motivated. And it represented a political leap for Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, whose government agreed to release Mr. Krasikov as part of the deal. Mr. Putin has referred to Mr. Krasikov as a patriot for his killing of a Chechen former separatist fighter in Berlin in 2019.

Persons: Anton TroianovskiMark Mazzetti, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Ilya Yashin, Vadim Krasikov, Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Krasikov, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: Street Journal, U.S . Marine, West, Turkish Locations: Turkey, Russia, Russian, Ankara, U.S, Chechen, Berlin

Mr. Trump has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Orban’s, and the meeting comes after a series of others by the Hungarian leader this month, including one with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, that caught many by surprise. Hungary took over the European Union’s rotating presidency at the start of July with the promise to “make Europe great again” — echoing the “Make America Great Again” slogan of Mr. Trump, whom Mr. Orban has endorsed for the U.S. presidency. Mr. Trump, who has a history of praising authoritarian leaders, often cites Mr. Orban’s support on the campaign trail. The two men met in March at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, where Mr. Trump lauded Mr. Orban as a “boss” because he did not brook political dissent. presidency is largely a clerical position, Mr. Orban has engaged in a flurry of meetings with world leaders since taking over the position.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Donald J, Trump, Orban’s, Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Mr, Orban Organizations: Trump, NATO, U.S, Mr Locations: Hungary, Florida, Washington, Hungarian, Russia, Europe, Mar

☆ As NATO Convenes, Leaders Worry About a Hole in Its Center
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( David E. Sanger | Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Biden and his aides planned the 75th anniversary of NATO, which opens on Tuesday evening in Washington, it was intended to create an aura of confidence. But as 38 world leaders began arriving here on Monday, that confidence seems at risk. Even before the summit formally begins, it has been overshadowed by the uncertainty about whether Mr. Biden will remain in the race for a second term, and the looming possibility of the return of former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump once declared NATO “obsolete,” threatened to exit the alliance and more recently said he would let the Russians do “whatever the hell they want” to any member country he deemed to be insufficiently contributing to the alliance. In recent days, as Mr. Trump has edged up in post-debate polls, key European allies have begun discussing what a second Trump term might mean for the alliance — and whether it could take on Russia without American arms, money and intelligence-gathering at its center.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Donald J, Trump Organizations: NATO, Trump Locations: Washington, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Modi’s Moscow Visit Showcases a Less Isolated Putin, Angering Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Paul Sonne | Anupreeta Das | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India strolled alongside President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia under the trees at the Russian leader’s suburban residence as the sun set. He rode a golf cart along the paths, sipped tea during an hourslong chat and petted a horse on a visit to Mr. Putin’s stables, breathing in the calm of an estate that once belonged to the Romanov dynasty. The scene, on Monday evening, opened the Indian leader’s two-day trip to Russia and illustrated a sobering reality: Despite the West’s intended isolation of Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, other nations have pursued their own interests with regard to Moscow, helping Mr. Putin shore up Russia’s economy and wage its war. While Mr. Modi was hugging the Russian leader, rescue workers in Kyiv were searching for survivors under the rubble of Ukraine’s largest pediatric hospital in the wake of a Russian missile attack. Mr. Putin has held two meetings with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in two months, along with meeting the leaders of Vietnam, Hungary, Belarus and the nations of Central Asia, keeping a robust diplomatic schedule.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Vladimir V, Putin, Romanov, Modi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Xi Jinping Locations: India, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, Vietnam, Hungary, Belarus, Central Asia

☆ Russian Court Orders Arrest of Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s Widow
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | More About Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Russian court on Tuesday ordered the arrest in absentia of Yulia B. Navalnaya, the widow of Aleksei A. Navalny, who was a key figure in the country’s political opposition, accusing her of “participating in an extremist community.”The court order against Ms. Navalnaya, who left Russia in 2021, comes five months after her husband died under murky circumstances in a harsh Russian penal colony. He was imprisoned after being convicted of various trumped-up charges when he returned to Russia after a near-fatal attempt to poison him in August 2020. Ms. Navalnaya has repeatedly accused President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia of murdering her husband and has vowed to continue his opposition work. The statement from the Basmanny District Court’s press office announcing the arrest order did not spell out the reason for the charges, but it appeared to be linked to her role in helping to run the Navalny opposition organization. Although she avoided any overt political role while her husband was alive, Ms. Navalnaya has long led the advisory board of his Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Persons: Yulia B, Aleksei A, Navalnaya, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr Organizations: Kremlin, Corruption Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Kyiv, Basmanny

☆ Opinion | The Abyss Stares Back at Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Huey Long-like character of Willie Stark in Robert Penn Warren’s “All the King’s Men” comes to mind, as does the figure of Brutus in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”And so, increasingly, does President Biden. The man elected to banish his self-deluded, deceptive, disrespected and destructive predecessor increasingly embodies those vices himself. “Saying hello to one Democratic megadonor and family friend at the White House recently, the president stared blankly and nodded his head,” Olivia Nuzzi reported last week for New York magazine. The president repeated the words his wife had fed him.”There’s plenty more like this, including in The Wall Street Journal and The Times. “A former senior European official answered the same question by saying flatly, ‘No.’”

Persons: It’s, Huey Long, Willie Stark, Robert Penn Warren’s, ”, Brutus, Shakespeare’s “ Julius Caesar, Biden, blankly, ” Olivia Nuzzi, “, Vladimir V, Putin, ” —, Europe — “, ‘ Organizations: Democratic, White House, New York, Street, The Times, Times Locations: Russia, U.S, Europe

☆ Modi to Meet Putin in Moscow as India Charts Its Own Course
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Anupreeta Das | Hari Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia this week, a visit that signals the Indian leader’s determination to stick to his own diplomatic path even as the West continues to isolate Moscow over its war on Ukraine. For Mr. Putin, Mr. Modi’s visit will be a way for Russia to show that the Kremlin continues to have a strong partnership with India even as the world’s fifth largest economy has deepened its relations with the United States. This is the first visit to Russia by Mr. Modi in five years. He is expected to land in Moscow on Monday and attend a dinner hosted by Mr. Putin. Russia is also India’s biggest supplier of arms, making the relationship key for India, which has long had to defend its borders against China.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Vladimir V, Putin, Modi’s, Modi Organizations: India, Kremlin, Mr Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, India, United States, China

☆ Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Leader, Meets With Xi in China After Talks With Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, courting another authoritarian partner after talks with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Moscow last week. In announcing Mr. Orban’s visit to Beijing, China’s official Xinhua news agency said only that Mr. Xi would hold an “in-depth discussion with him on issues of mutual interest.” The leaders last met two months ago, when Mr. Xi visited Budapest as part of a drive to restore Chinese influence in Europe. Chinese state television said that Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban were holding talks in the Diaooyutai State Guesthouse, but gave no other details. This meeting will give Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban, an outlier in the European Union on support for Ukraine and other issues, a chance to urge the bloc to distance itself from Washington. Hungary began its six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union this month, giving Mr. Orban a higher profile, though not much more influence, in wider European affairs.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Xi, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Orban’s, Orban Organizations: Xinhua, European Union, of Locations: Hungary, Beijing, Russia, Moscow, Budapest, Europe, Diaooyutai State, Ukraine, Washington, European Union

☆ Russian Who Led Troops Linked to Bucha Killings Is Charged With Corruption
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Colonel Gorodilov led the unit at the time and was present in the town where hundreds of civilians died, in some cases as a result of brutal executions, The Times found. Russian troops retreated from the area in early 2022. The U.S. government imposed sanctions on Colonel Gorodilov last year for what it called “his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely extrajudicial killings.”He was promoted to the rank of colonel days after images from Bucha emerged publicly and turned the suburb into a global symbol of the terror that Russian forces have brought to occupied Ukrainian towns. Moscow has denied involvement in the Bucha killings, with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia calling the events “a provocation.” The Times, however, identified two dozen members of the 234th Regiment who were in Bucha at the time of the massacre, in part by tracing the numbers the troops called in Russia using the Ukrainian victims’ mobile phones.

Persons: Gorodilov, Bucha, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Times, 234th Regiment Locations: U.S, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Bucha

☆ How China and Russia Compete, and Cooperate, in Central Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Keith Bradsher | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With Russia mired in a long war in Ukraine and increasingly dependent on China for supplies, Beijing is moving quickly to expand its sway in Central Asia, a region that was once in the Kremlin’s sphere of influence. Russia, for its part, is pushing back hard. As the leaders of Central Asian countries meet with the presidents of China and Russia this week in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, China’s rising presence is visible in the region. Flag-waving Kazakh children who sang in Chinese greeted Xi Jinping, China’s leader, upon his arrival in Astana on Tuesday. But as the group has expanded its membership, China and Russia have used it as a platform to showcase their ambitions of reshaping a global order dominated by the United States.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Russia, Central, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Locations: Ukraine, China, Beijing, Central Asia, Russia, Astana, Kazakhstan, United States

☆ North Korea Says It Tested Multiple-Warhead Missile Technology
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea said for the first time on Thursday that it had tested technology for launching several nuclear warheads with a single missile, days after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia visited the North and raised the prospect of expanded military and technical cooperation. The test on Wednesday was “aimed at securing the MIRV capability,” the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. MIRV stands for “multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle,” a missile payload containing several warheads, each of which can be sent to a different target. The report said the test had involved part of a MIRV system, not a full-fledged multiple-warhead missile. But experts believe the North is far from mastering the technology.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, “, MIRV, Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Korean Central News Agency Locations: Korea, Russia, United States

☆ Year After Failed Mutiny, Russia Tightens Grip on Wagner Units in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Russia covertly propped up authoritarian leaders, exploited natural resources and fought extremists in a number of African countries. Russia worked through the Wagner group, a shadowy web of political advisers, entrepreneurs and mercenaries. Wagner was led by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, a ruthless tycoon who was once a close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. But after Mr. Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny against Mr. Putin in June last year, Mr. Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash. The Russian Ministry of Defense has taken control of Wagner’s mercenary arm in Africa and placed it under a bigger umbrella group, Africa Corps.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin Organizations: Mr, Russian Ministry of Defense, Africa Corps Locations: Russia, Western, Ukraine, Africa

☆ Putin Came to Asia to Disrupt, and He Succeeded
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Four days in Asia. That’s all President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia needed to anger Washington, undermine Beijing and rattle a collection of Indo-Pacific nations already scrambling to cope with a jumbled world order. After stops in Pyongyang and Hanoi this week that were draped in Communist red, Mr. Putin left behind a redrawn map of risk in Asia. North Korea sat at the center: a rogue nuclear state that regularly threatens its neighbors, suddenly empowered by Russian promises of sophisticated military aid and a mutual defense pact. Mr. Putin also signed at least a dozen deals with Vietnam — a country of growing importance for both China and the United States as they vie for influence — where he insisted that “reliable security architecture” could not be built with “closed military-political blocs.”The trip was both defiant and disruptive.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr Locations: Asia, Russia, Washington, Beijing, Pyongyang, Hanoi, Asia . North Korea, Vietnam, China, United States

☆ Russia and North Korea’s Defense Pact Is a Told-You-So Moment in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Motoko Rich | Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With ballistic missiles regularly flying nearby, Japan and South Korea need little reminder of the threat that North Korea and its nuclear arsenal poses to its neighbors. But the pledge, along with indications that Russia could help bolster North Korea’s continuing quest to build its nuclear capabilities, rattled officials in Tokyo and Seoul. Mr. Kim has grown increasingly hostile toward South Korea and this year abandoned a longtime goal of reunifying with the South, however unlikely that might have been. Now he describes the South solely as an enemy that must be subjugated, if necessary, through a nuclear war. And he has often tested his ballistic missiles by flying them toward Japan, demonstrating North Korea’s provocative stance toward its former colonizer.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, Analysts Locations: Japan, South Korea, Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Tokyo, Seoul

☆ Putin Threatens to Arm North Korea, Escalating Tension With West Over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia directly warned the United States and its allies that he is willing to arm North Korea if they continue to supply Kyiv with sophisticated weapons that have struck Russian territory, raising the stakes for the Western powers backing Ukraine. Mr. Putin made the threat in comments to reporters traveling with him late Thursday in Vietnam before he flew home to Russia after a trip there and to North Korea. Mr. Putin cast his threat to arm Pyongyang, in violation of United Nations sanctions, as a response to decisions by the United States and its allies in recent months to allow Ukraine to make certain strikes on Russian territory with their weapons. “Those who supply these weapons believe that they are not at war with us,” Mr. Putin said. “Well, as I said, including in Pyongyang, then we reserve the right to supply weapons to other regions of the world.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, ” Mr, ” Organizations: United Nations Locations: Russia, United States, North Korea, Ukraine, Vietnam, Pyongyang, North

☆ Why Is Putin Traveling to Vietnam?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia wrapped up a state visit to one ally, North Korea, and moved on to another, Vietnam, arriving early Thursday local time hoping to shore up crucial partnerships in the region as he wages a protracted war in Ukraine. Mr. Putin’s war in Ukraine has left him isolated from the West, and his need for munitions to fight that war has pushed him closer to North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un. In Vietnam, by contrast, Mr. Putin — who landed in Hanoi, according to Russian state media — will meet with officials who have recently forged deeper bonds with Washington. But Moscow has long been Hanoi’s main source of weapons, and Mr. Putin is keen to hold on to that position. It is Mr. Putin’s fifth visit to Vietnam and follows trips last year by President Biden and President Xi Jinping of China, two leaders who sought assurances from Hanoi that it was not taking the other’s side.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Putin —, Putin’s, Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: Washington Locations: Russia, North Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine, United States, Hanoi, Moscow, China

☆ Putin and Kim Sign Pact Pledging Mutual Support Against ‘Aggression’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, revived a Cold War-era mutual defense pledge between their nations on Wednesday, as the Kremlin deepened its security relationship with North Korea and vowed solidarity in challenging the United States. Neither Russia nor North Korea immediately released the text of the new treaty. But Mr. Putin, speaking at a joint briefing in Pyongyang after the two leaders signed the document, said the pact called for the nations to aid one another in the event of “aggression” against either country. The pledge of mutual assistance is likely to further alarm Washington and its allies. It could presage not only deeper support by North Korea for Russia’s war in Ukraine but also greater support from Moscow in aiding Mr. Kim’s quest for better-functioning nuclear weapons, missiles, submarines and satellites — a development that would increase anxiety among America’s Asian allies, especially South Korea.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Kim, ” Mr Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, North, North Korea, United States, Pyongyang, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, South Korea

☆ Putin Will Head to North Korea as Ukraine War Redefines Ties With Kim
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The war against Ukraine has driven Mr. Putin closer to the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, who has won new status with the Kremlin by opening his vast munitions stores to Moscow. Nine months ago, after Mr. Kim arrived by armored train in the Russian Far East, the two men met at a Russian cosmodrome and toasted their “sacred struggle” against the West. The North Korean leader, in between visiting sensitive Russian rocket and fighter jet facilities, invited Mr. Putin to make a reciprocal visit. Now, the Russian president has taken him up on the offer. The United States once relied on Moscow’s cooperation in its attempts to curb North Korea’s nuclear and missile program.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Kim, Mr Organizations: Kremlin, West, North, Washington, United Locations: Russia, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian

☆ What Weapons Has North Korea Already Supplied to Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Lara Jakes | More About Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the war has dragged on, Russia has found itself in dire need of conventional weapons, including artillery shells, that North Korea could supply. The United States first accused North Korea of selling artillery to Russia as far back as September 2022, seven months after the war started. At the time, North Korea denied the accusations. Just weeks later, U.S. officials said that North Korea had shipped more than 1,000 containers of arms to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. By March, officials said, North Korea had sent close to 7,000 containers of weapons to Russia.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Ukraine, United, House, North Korean Locations: Russia, North Korea, Korea, United States, Ukraine

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