Moscow expands contacts! Vladimir Putin surrounds himself with US enemies

Military Cooperation Russia's ties with Iran, North Korea and China have expanded to sharing sensitive technology that could threaten the United States and its allies long after the war in Ukraine ends, according to U.S. defense and intelligence officials. This was written by The Wall Street Journal in a publication entitled "How Putin rebuilt Russia's military machine with the help of US adversaries.

The speed and depth of expansion of Russia's security ties involving US adversaries has sometimes surprised US intelligence analysts. They say Russia and other countries have put aside historical differences to stand together against what they see as a US-dominated global system.

"In a sign of closer military ties, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in Pyongyang on Wednesday that they had signed an agreement to provide mutual aid in the event of an attack on either side, describing the relationship as an alliance between two authoritarian states", the newspaper wrote.

Moscow's expanding contacts with North Korea, Iran and China began after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when initial battlefield setbacks and Western sanctions forced Russia to desperately seek new sources of weapons. But the arrangements are growing into joint production, technology and labor transfer agreements that officials say improve Moscow's long-term capabilities and potentially those of Tehran, Pyongyang and Beijing.

"Russia's war in Ukraine is supported by China, North Korea and Iran. They want the United States to fail. They want NATO to fail. If they succeed in Ukraine, it will make us more vulnerable and the world more dangerous," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently.

The expanding security ties between Russia and North Korea, Iran and China are not yet a formal military alliance like the West's North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Instead, they involve a series of bilateral exchanges between Russia and each of the other three countries.

"For Russia, North Korea, and even China, this is all a marriage of convenience based on rapprochement or alignment of interests and goals in the moment, not some passionate romantic relationship," former CIA and White House official Sue Mee Terry said recently.

Nevertheless, the initial outlines of the new axis have already emerged, with signs of increased strategic and diplomatic cooperation being seen. China is at the center of efforts to strengthen trade ties with countries under US sanctions, according to Western officials and customs data.

According to US officials, China has done everything possible to avoid providing weapons to Russia, which Washington has stressed would lead to sanctions. However, Beijing has helped Russian defense production recover faster than US intelligence agencies had expected, following Moscow's first setbacks in Ukraine and the imposition of Western sanctions designed to prevent the Kremlin from gaining access to weapons.

China has supplied a huge amount of dual-use equipment, including metal-cutting machines, microelectronics for the Russian defense industry, optics for tanks and armored vehicles, and turbojets for cruise missiles. It is also helping Russia improve its satellite and other space capabilities for use in Ukraine.

"They are very cautious, but they are very close to the edge. They are doing everything they can to support the Russians without incurring any costs," defense officials commented.