Robert Patman: Otago University Professor for International Relations on Vladimir Putin meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea for his first visit to the country since 2000.

The US and South Korea are accusing North Korea of agreeing to supply Russia with weapons, possibly in exchange for food and military aid.

Otago University International Relations Professor Robert Patman says Putin's visit is likely for consolidating military support from North Korea.

"In return, I think North Korea will want Mr Putin to provide advanced technologies, particularly for their space program - but also would want a substantial flow of Russian oil and food products."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea
for the meeting with Kim Jong un. Putin reportedly opened
talks by thanking Kim for his support on Ukraine and
saying he admired Pyongyang's transformation over the past twenty four years.
None of us can confirm that anything's happened there. We
haven't seen it, Kim Jong un said, relations between their
two countries are entering a period of new prosperity. International

(00:20):
relations professor Robert Patman from Otago Universities with us, Hey, Robert,
what do they want from each other?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Ah, it's a sort of dictator solidarity meeting, really, isn't it. Basically?
In September last year, Kim Jong un met Putin in
vladith Fostok, and that marked the beginning of were not
the beginning, but a landmark in North Korean military support

(00:50):
for Russian the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and both South
Korean and Ukrainian sources have confirmed that northibilistic missiles as
well as a variety of munitions have turned up on
the battlefield there. And I think mister Putin's visit on
this occasion is to consolidate that North Korean support military

(01:12):
support as in return, I think North Korea will want
mister Putin to provide a variety of advanced technologies, particularly
for their space program, but also would want a substantial
flow of Russian oil and food products this country. North
Korea under this dictatorship often struggles to feed its population.

(01:34):
So and also I think the North Korean regime would
be looking for hard currency payments as well for their
support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And to be
you know, mister Putin wasn't exaggerating when he said that
he was very, very grateful for North Korean support, because
I think North Korea is one of the few countries

(01:56):
that from the outset back the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In quite unambiguous terms, does Kim have.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
The upper hand he had, given that he has the
weapons and Russia needs the weapons.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
It's upper hand both states are, you know, they both
find themselves the subject of pretty comprehensive sanctions. And one
of mister Putin's remarks was that they were combating the West.
And the interesting thing is that, you know, mister Putin
in a sense is saying that in their opposition to

(02:33):
the West that they're winning. And I suppose in a
sense it's not surprising that mister Putin is looking for
support from North Korea. He does need as a matter
of urgency at military support. He gets it from indirectly
from China, but he's also getting it directly from North Korea.
China's official position is neutral, which complicates the open provision

(02:58):
of military aid. North Korea has no such reservations, and
it's another authorit chairing regime in Iran, which also provides
support for put into invasion of Ukraine.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
So we are getting increasingly involved as a country, New
Zealand with what is going on in North Korea. I mean,
we've been having a look at what they're doing with
the Poseidon and we're now sending it in Zidiya, Frigid
and so on to help monitor. Is this the West
ratcheting up pressure on these guys.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
I think it's a recognition by New Zealand that there's
a lot at stake in the Ukraine conflict and North
Korea is an actor, it's a player in the Russian
invasion of Ukraine. This is a you know, this is
an act which tore up the UN Charter as a
direct threat to New Zealand's interests. After all, mister Putin
gets away with annecting Land from a liberal, deemocratic neighbor

(03:50):
which has given up its nuclear weapons. That has direct
ramifications for New Zealand. After all, we conduct our relations
with countries around the world more than one hundred on
the basis of rules. If mister Putin succeeds in showing
that might is right, that has ramifications for us.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Hey, our navy said that they had seen some sort
of you know, anti sanctioned trading that was going on,
where the ships were hooking up with each other in
the sea and transferring coal and so on. If they
were who's trading with North Korea? Who would that be?

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Well, that's a good question. That's the first I've heard
of that report, So I couldn't really comment on that.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
Heaver, Well, you need to listen to the show more.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
I certainly will after this, But Mark Exams that's probably
why I've been a bit distracted. But I don't know.
I mean, there's just a lot of information coming in.
I think regimes under sanctions kind the variety of ways
around it, and mister Putin has evaded the intent of
Western sanctions, largely through India and China, who both you know,

(04:56):
bought Russian oil and Russia is largely depend on the
export fossil fuels. So you know, there's a number of
countries which you come to mind that may be helping
North Korea out in that situation. Yeah, but yeah, you know,
I can't be more specific now, unfortunately.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Robert, thank you, as always be the expertise appreciated. It's
Robert Patman, International Relations professor, Otago University.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
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