© Vladimir Smirnov/TASS

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un have had a summit at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region, both in an extended format along with their delegations, and face-to-face. This has become the North Korean leader’s first foreign trip since 2019.

One of the key issues contemplated by observers are bilateral relations amid once Russian-approved UN Security Council sanctions against the DPRK that have now come to complicate economic ties and virtually paralyze military-technical cooperation. One should, however, bear in mind that military cooperation itself does not fall under UN sanctions, including joint maneuvers, exercises, warship port visits, etc.

The very choice of the venue being the Vostochny Cosmodrome, as well as Kim Jong-un's visit to a number of Far Eastern defense enterprises, indicate both sides’ interest in comprehensive military and technical collaboration.

The North Korean delegation has also proven illustrative, with Kim Jong-un surrounded by his Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, Deputy Chairman of the Workers' Party Central Military Committee Ri Pyong-chol and military department head at the Workers' Party Central Committee Pak Jong-chon, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

On the other hand, July this year saw Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visit the DPRK, after which its leader announced willingness to develop defense cooperation with Russia. Given Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, foreign media claim it seeks aid from North Korea’s military-industrial complex, namely artillery systems and ammunition supplies. Back in 2022, the US administration claimed that the republic’s authorities were allegedly sending artillery shells to Russia under wraps.

On the eve of the visit, US State Department press service head Matthew Miller warned that "any transfer of arms from North Korea to Russia would be in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions." "We will monitor what happens and will not hesitate to take action to hold those accountable, if necessary," he added. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a statement similar in its contents and tone. However, Washington has no specific facts about the transfer of North Korean military equipment to Russia.

The content of Vostochny negotiations has not been disclosed, with no documents released in their follow-up. The leaders also refrained from holding press conferences. And still, the Russian side has come up with a number of essential statements.

Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed to prospects for military-technical cooperation between Russia and the DPRK, despite Moscow’s enforced compliance with UNSC sanctions.

"There are certain restrictions. Russia complies with all these restrictions, but there are things that we can certainly talk about, discuss, think about. And there are prospects here, too," Putin said live on TV as to whether the topic of military-technical cooperation was discussed during talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "Russia is a self-sufficient country," the President stressed. " But within the framework of the current rules we have opportunities, which we also pay attention to and discuss."

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that Moscow and Pyongyang would develop cooperation not subject to pressure from the West. "We will foster mutually advantageous cooperation with North Korea that will not be subject to any illegitimate Western pressure," chief Russian diplomat said.

According to him, compliance with international law is now acquiring special resonance. "One has to observe not just one element of the UN Charter, but all of them — all the UN Charter principles in their interrelation," the head of Russian diplomacy emphasized.

Earlier, Russian Ambassador to the DPRK Alexander Matsegora told TASS the following: "As for the impact of UN Security Council sanctions on bilateral political relations, I would say firmly: they have no effect. With regard to sanctions pressure as a factor that may somehow complicate economic cooperation between Russia and the DPRK, our Korean partners and us assume that they will be in effect, if not forever, then for a very, very long time. So, if we focus on the sanctions imposed on us and them, as they say, from all sides, we may lose sight of interaction in practical areas. It would be wrong; it should not be like that."

Associate professor with the Russian government’s Financial University Leonid Krutakov says in this regard that "with Russia itself under sanctions, it must cry out against UN restrictions against the DPRK, and openly declare their ineffectiveness along with UN institutions. We need to forget the entire narrative of UN sanctions against the DPRK and start cooperating with it from scratch."

According to the expert, "there can no longer be any consequences for Russia in this regard. The West has done everything it could in relation to Russia, making it an outcast for the United States, and preventing anyone in the West from placing bets on Russia. Thus, Moscow should also turn its back on the West and do as it sees fit."

In turn, Alexey Zudin, a senior MGIMO lecturer, believes that "Russia's compliance or non-compliance with UN sanctions against the DPRK is our sovereign decision.  It is up to our political leadership with an eye on the country’s needs that have appeared in the changing geopolitical situation. One has to distinguish between what is essential and what is superficial. Russia needs to expand its circle of allies — the reliable ones. We have the right to take decisions useful to us. In addition, I would not forget that when endorsing certain UN sanctions against the DPRK, Russia was not completely independent, and even weak. Those ancient decisions are hardly valid today. There is no doubt that Russia’s upcoming commitments are going to be guided by its legitimate interests as a sovereign state."