TOKYO — Angry with the West’s response over Ukraine and eager to diversify its options, Russia is moving rapidly to bolster ties with North Korea in a diplomatic nose-thumbing that could complicate the US-led effort to squeeze Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear weapons program.
Russia’s proactive strategy in Asia, which also involves cozying up to China and has been dubbed ‘‘Putin’s Pivot,’’ began years ago as Moscow’s answer to Washington’s much-touted alliance-building and rebalancing of its military forces in the Pacific. But it has gained a new sense of urgency since the unrest in Ukraine — and Pyongyang is already getting a big windfall with high-level political exchanges and promises from Russia of trade and development projects.
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Moscow’s overtures to North Korea reflect both a defensive distancing from the European Union and Washington because of their sanctions over Ukraine and a broader, long-term effort to strengthen its hand in Asia by building political alliances, expanding energy exports, and developing Russian regions in Siberia and the Far East.
For North Korea, the timing couldn’t be better. Since the demise of the Soviet Union and the largesse it banked on as a member of the communist bloc, the North has struggled to keep its economy afloat and has depended heavily on trade and assistance from China. Sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs have further isolated the country, and Pyongyang has long feared it could become too beholden to Beijing.
Better ties with Russia could provide a much-needed economic boost, a counterbalance against Chinese influence and a potentially useful wedge against the West in international forums — and particularly in the US-led effort to isolate Pyongyang over its development of nuclear weapons.