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Russia seeks more ammunition for its war in Ukraine as North Korea hopes to obtain military tech help.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at security deals between Russia and North Korea, U.S. migrant protection efforts, and marriage equality in Thailand.
The World’s Most Sanctioned Nations
Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to North Korea on Tuesday to deepen bilateral trade and security ties with Pyongyang as well as bolster joint efforts to counter the United States. This is Putin’s second face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the past nine months, and his first trip to the Hermit Kingdom since 2000, when Putin began his first presidential term and Kim Jong Un’s father was still in charge.
The Kremlin described Tuesday’s event as a “friendly state visit” that will also seek to expand cooperation on tourism, education, and culture. Ahead of the trip, Putin authorized the conclusion of a new “comprehensive strategic partnership” agreement between the two countries, and he praised Pyongyang for “firmly supporting” Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Experts expect Russia to ask for ammunition, construction workers, and volunteer soldiers from North Korea for Moscow’s front lines. Last week, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik told Bloomberg that North Korea has sent at least 10,000 shipping containers to Russia in recent months, possibly holding around 4.8 million artillery shells.
In exchange, Pyongyang is expected to request technological help for its military, specifically to transform its long-range missile program to be able to strike the United States, according to analysts. Moscow has the world’s largest nuclear weapons arsenal and one of the most sophisticated submarine programs. Last November, North Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit—likely with help from Moscow, according to South Korea. Kim had visited Russia just two months before the launch.
Russia and North Korea are the two most sanctioned nations in the world. For Pyongyang, most sanctions relate to its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs. For Russia, Western sanctions largely target its war effort against Ukraine.
As both countries become increasingly isolated on the world stage, the two autocrats have strengthened diplomatic relations to combat what Putin recently called the “global neocolonial dictatorship” of the United States. In February, Putin gifted Kim a luxury car in violation of United Nations sanctions. And in March, Russia vetoed the annual review of the U.N. panel of experts, which has monitored North Korean sanctions violations for the past 15 years.
The White House is worried that Putin’s trip to North Korea “could affect security on the Korean Peninsula” as Moscow strengthens its ties with Pyongyang, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said. Hours before Putin’s arrival, North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into South Korea, retreating only when South Korean troops fired warning shots. This is the second such incident in more than a week, and it comes after North Korea began construction in April on border fortifications.
What We’re Following
A pathway to citizenship. U.S. President Joe Biden announced protections on Tuesday for around 500,000 undocumented spouses. Under the new measures, undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens and their children will be shielded from deportation and given a pathway toward obtaining green cards and applying for full citizenship. The spouses must have lived in the United States for at least 10 years as of Monday to qualify. There is no requirement for how long they must have been married to a U.S. citizen.
This is a “new action to keep families together,” the White House said. Biden also announced new actions to help young people, known as Dreamers, access work visas.
Republican lawmakers have repeatedly criticized Biden for his immigration policies, accusing his administration of being lax on border security. On Sunday, the Mexican government said around 1.39 million people from 177 countries have entered Mexico so far this year to try to reach the United States without entry papers. Undocumented border crossings have become a top campaign issue ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.
Same-sex rights. Thailand’s upper house passed the final reading of a marriage equality act on Tuesday with an overwhelming majority. Under the policy, people of any gender will have full legal, financial, and medical rights when marrying. “We will continue our fight for social rights for all people regardless of their status,” Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said regarding the approval of the bill, which has been in the works for more than two decades.
After the bill receives royal approval and is published in the royal gazette, Thailand will become the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Nepal and Taiwan are the only other Asian countries to have legalized same-sex marriage thus far.
Weapons deals. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 17 Palestinians living in two refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday as Israel’s military pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. The Israeli military said the operations were “precise, intelligence-based” activities designed to target Palestinian militants and did not directly comment on the 17 deaths.
The strikes follow news that two U.S. Democratic holdouts in Congress have signed off on a major arms deal with Israel. In what is believed to be one of Washington’s biggest weapons packages to Israel to date, the agreement would be worth more than $18 billion and include around 50 F-15 fighter jets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Biden on Tuesday for withholding some weapons from what he called “America’s closest ally.”
Odds and Ends
Vermont State University’s Castleton campus may have the world’s most purr-fect student. Last month, the college awarded a 6-year-old tabby cat named Max with a doctorate in litter-ature. Max has wandered the campus greens for the past four years, becoming a fixture in the school’s community. He “feels like he has a job to do in welcoming people to the campus,” said Maurice Ouimet, the university’s dean of admissions and enrollment services.
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