By Entorno and AFP | 2023-09-19

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 13 toasted the "strengthening of future cooperation" with North Korea as he hosted the reclusive country's leader, Kim Jong Un, at an official dinner in the Russian Far East.

Putin held talks with Kim in Russia's Vostochny cosmodrome, in an unprecedented summit as Moscow grows increasingly isolated over its offensive in Ukraine.

Later, in an interview on state television, Putin said there were "possibilities" for military co-operation with North Korea despite international sanctions.

"There are certain limitations," he said. "Within the framework of existing rules, there are possibilities that we take note of and we are discussing them."

Putin and Kim gifted each other rifles, the Kremlin said September 14, confirming that the isolated Russian leader will visit North Korea as Moscow woos another pariah state.

'Troubling'

The summit and the potential for an arms deal sparked rebuke from world leaders.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres called for all countries to respect UN sanctions on North Korea.

"Any form of cooperation of any country with North Korea must respect the sanctions regime that was imposed by the Security Council," Guterres told reporters.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the cooperation announced during Kim's visit to Russia's Far East is "quite troubling and would potentially be in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

He noted US concerns that North Korean satellites, on which Putin promised cooperation, have been used to develop Pyongyang's ballistic missiles.

The United States "will not hesitate" to impose sanctions if appropriate, Miller told reporters.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said separately: "Any arrangements that would improve North Korea's military capabilities would certainly be of concern."

International isolation, desperation

Others pointed out that Russia's cooperation with North Korea, which the United States considers a "state sponsor of terrorism," is a sign of Putin's desperation and increasing international isolation.

The only other countries on the list are Syria, Iran and Cuba -- all Kremlin allies.

"Russia is isolated to the point of being forced to turn to North Korea," French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre told reporters on Tuesday.

"This is a very strong sign of its international isolation," she added after the United States warned the meeting could see an arms deal to support Moscow's assault on Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in an interview aired Wednesday, said Russia's reliance on North Korea and Iran showed its dire situation as it wages its war in Ukraine.

"That's kind of a 'Star Wars' bar scene of countries. So I think it does speak to Russia's desperation," Blinken told the Pod Save the World podcast.

"We're looking to make sure that we, as necessary, can impose costs and consequences."

Russia turned to Iran last year to provide hundreds of explosive drones.

North Korea boasts large stocks of Soviet war material -- albeit in unknown condition -- and itself mass-produces conventional weaponry.

The White House said September 14 that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had spoken with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts to discuss the Putin-Kim meeting.

"They noted that any arms exports from the DPRK to Russia would directly violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions, including resolutions that Russia itself voted to adopt," a White House statement said, using an acronym for North Korea's official name.

Japan warned against violating UN resolutions on arms deals with North Korea.

"We are watching [the talks] with concerns including the possibility that it could lead to violations of the Security Council's ban on all arms-related material transactions with North Korea," new Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters Thursday.

"Russian invasion of Ukraine cannot be accepted," she said, adding, "Japan has urged third parties not to provide support to Russian forces."

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to use his address next week at the UN General Assembly to stress grave concern over the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

South Korea is "taking the situation very seriously," regarding "the fact that various military cooperation, including the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, was discussed" during Kim's meeting with Putin, South Korea's National Security Council said after meeting on Thursday.

Eager for ammunition

Russia is eager for ammunition to continue fighting in Ukraine, while North Korea wants Moscow's help to develop its missile programme.

Russia has ramped up domestic production to a forecast 2.5 million shells this year, from 1.7 million in 2022 -- the year it invaded neighboring Ukraine.

But with Moscow's forces firing up to 60,000 rounds a day, according to Ukrainian figures, "it may be that Russia's increased production capacity is below its real needs on the battlefield," said Yohann Michel, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.

"I think Russia has already tested the North Korean shells in battlefields and is now ready to expand its use going forward," said Kim Jong-dae, a former South Korean MP and visiting scholar at the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies.

Early this year, Washington accused Pyongyang of supplying artillery shells for the Russian Wagner mercenary group's assault on the eastern Ukrainian town Bakhmut.

But whatever results the recent cooperation announcement brings, analysts say it would not likely to change the battlefield outcome in Ukraine.

In a study published Friday, the German Council on Foreign Relations found that "Moscow needs imports if it wants to sustain the current operational intensity of its war effort over a long time."