Russia has announced a major shift in its policy toward North Korea’s nuclear program. At a July 22 press conference following the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that, in light of what he described as increasingly “aggressive” military activities around North Korea, Moscow no longer supports calls for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The statement marks a sharp departure from the 2005 “Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks,” in which China, the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea jointly affirmed that the goal of the negotiations was the peaceful and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Lavrov’s remarks came just days after North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited Moscow and met with President Vladimir Putin. Putin conveyed his “warmest greetings” to Kim Jong Un and praised North Korean troops for their contributions to Russia’s military operations abroad. The visit came amid reports that Moscow is seeking an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to support its war in Ukraine. The growing military partnership follows the “Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” signed by Russia and North Korea in June 2024, under which both sides pledged to provide military and other assistance if either enters a state of war.
Mosco argued that the surrounding situation made it for North Korea to defend itself without nuclear capability, citing expanding U.S.-South Korea military exercises, Japan’s debate over revising its “Three Non-Nuclear Principles,” and the collapse of the U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control framework following the expiration of the “New START Treaty.”
Russia’s policy reversal further erodes the long-standing international consensus on Korean Peninsula denuclearization. South Korea has also adopted a more pragmatic approach, emphasizing efforts to contain further expansion of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal rather than insisting on complete denuclearization as a precondition for dialogue. Against this backdrop, China faces an increasingly difficult dilemma: abandoning its longstanding support for denuclearization would undermine two decades of diplomatic policy and its commitment to the global nonproliferation regime, while maintaining that position risks leaving Beijing increasingly isolated as regional realities continue to evolve.
Source: CReaders.net, July 27, 2026
https://news.creaders.net/world/2026/07/27/3029916.html