This week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the first visit by a Russian defense minister to North Korea since the fall of the Soviet Union. Kim Jong Un and Shoigu met in Pyongyang to discuss military issues and the regional security environment, and Shoigu accompanied Kim to a defense exhibition featuring North Korea's banned ballistic missiles. The visit is seen as a sign of the strengthening ties between North Korea, Russia, and China, and a reminder of the ongoing tensions between North Korea and the U.S. over North Korea's nuclear program.
Posts tagged as “The U.N. Security Council”
North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile on Wednesday, which flew for 74 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan. Japan has responded by strengthening its surveillance and maintaining military preparedness with the U.S., while the international community awaits a response from the U.N. Security Council. It is unclear how the U.S. and its allies will respond to the launch.
In response to the West's increasing military support for Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to station tactical atomic weapons in Belarus. The U.S. has not seen any indications that Russia is preparing to use its weapons, but Ukraine has called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to "counter the Kremlin's nuclear blackmail." It is unclear how the U.N. Security Council meeting will address the situation.
North Korea has recently conducted two short-range ballistic missile tests towards Japan, prompting Japan to call for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The missiles flew between 210 and 250 miles at a maximum altitude of 30 to 60 miles before landing in waters off the west coast of Japan. The U.S. and South Korea have urged North Korea to cease further provocations and return to negotiations.