this Exchange in the Russian Vladivostok on the one-to-one between the two leaders – it was the first time they met – was described afterwards by Putin as ”thoroughly”, and of Kim as ”constructive”. It tends to be diplomatspråk for a meeting where you put forward its page views, but do not agree on much.
Some concrete results from the meeting, or agreement on how north korea’s nuclear weapons capability should be handled has not been reported. But perhaps it was not the purpose of the meeting.
to be players in perhaps the most explosive and potentially the most dangerous conflict in the world, to which Russia so far has kept itself outside the. Kim has in recent years met with China’s leader Xi Jinping four times, South Korean president Moon Jae-In three times, and USA’s Donald Trump twice.
If Putin can contribute to breaking the current impasse in the Koreafrågan is it an even bigger success.
And for Kim means a heated contact with Russia that he will come out from their isolation and can deflect any of the pressure from the US – which has not subsided after the inconclusive summit in Hanoi between Kim and Donald Trump for two months ago.
, which is the explicit goal of the international community, to come closer? Not likely.
it Is likely that north Korea will ever give up all of their nuclear capacity? Also not very likely.
The security guarantees that the united states would be able to provide the dictatorship in Pyongyang is considered hardly of Kim that is equally reassuring that he himself has access to a deterrent.
Putin stressed after the meeting that Moscow and Washington agree that north Korea should give up its nuclear weapons, but that it is not enough with american security guarantees to north Korea, they must be given of the several states.
– It is not likely that an agreement between the two states (the united states and north Korea, DN note.) is enough. Such warranties must be in the international, legally-binding and confirm the Dprk’s sovereignty, said Putin.
is a return to the format with the sexpartssamtal with the participation of north Korea, south Korea, Japan, USA, China and Russia, which started in 2003 but collapsed in 2009 when north Korea pulled out of the.
Putin went on a Thursday evening, proceed to Beijing, where he will discuss the issue with the chinese leaders, and he explained that he will discuss the conflict further with the united states.
What the two leaders said to each other, we know not, of course, but one can assume that Putin tried to get Kim to return to talks with the united states – it is, after all, where the key is for a deal.
another question is how realistic it is that north Korea ever becomes a nuclear weapons-free.
According to Dmitri Trenin, who leads the Moscow Carnegie Center, is one of Russia’s forces to man is concerned about north korea’s missile and nuclear weapons program.
But he emphasizes that Moscow is skeptical that north Korea can be convinced to completely give up its nuclear weapons, ”the only överlevnadsgarantin of the north Korean state and its regime”.