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Russia could help North Korea acquire nuclear weapons in exchange for sending North Korean troops to the Ukrainian conflict.
This week, the United States claimed to have evidence that North Korean troops had already been deployed, following similar announcements by Ukraine and South Korea days earlier.
Last summer, neighboring nations Russia and North Korea signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation, which included a promise of mutual assistance in the event of an external attack. As relations between Moscow and Pyongyang continue to strengthen, one expert has warned that Russia is likely to help North Korea develop a significant military arsenal.
Gabriel Jonsson, associate professor of Korean studies at Stockholm University, told the Guardian: “North Korea can also get revenue and help for its nuclear and missile programmes from Russia.”
In his closing speech at the BRICS summit midweek, Vladimir Putin was asked by reporters about North Korea’s involvement in the conflict. He neither confirmed nor denied that North Korea was actively fighting alongside Russian forces.
