Putin's Asian Tour: A Show of Defiance Against U.S. Global Power

Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded his visit to Asia with a spectacle of support from authoritarian allies, promises of eternal brotherhood from North Korea, and claims of progress on a lucrative pipeline project with China. The coalition of Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked a significant propaganda victory, as the three leaders demonstrated their defiance against U.S. global power.

Key Takeaways:

• Putin and Kim reaffirmed their "eternal brotherhood" and promised to do "everything possible to assist" Russia in its war against Ukraine, with Kim considering it his "fraternal obligation" to help Moscow.
• The two leaders last met in 2022, when Putin visited Pyongyang for the first time in 24 years, signing a historic mutual defense treaty.
• Putin praised the heroism of North Korean soldiers who helped repel Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
• Putin claimed that Russia and China had reached a "consensus" on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which would transit gas reserves in Russia's West Siberia to northern China via eastern Mongolia, handing Beijing more options to hedge against future reliance on U.S. liquefied natural gas.
• Putin stated that Beijing would receive energy at market prices and that the supply of Russian gas through the new pipeline could reach 100 billion cubic meters, although Gazprom's Alexei Miller put the figure at 50 billion cubic meters.
• The "legally binding memorandum" signed between Beijing and Gazprom on Tuesday has been deemed more of a "map" rather than a commitment by experts.
• The meeting and possible deals elicited an angry reaction from the White House, with President Donald Trump accusing the three leaders of conspiring against the United States.
• Putin and Xi Jinping's military parade was a clear display of their efforts to wall off the West, according to Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center's Alexander Gabuev, who noted that the meeting was a "fantasy land" for Trump's efforts to draw Russia away from China's orbit.

Statistics:

• 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia since last year, with 2,000 estimated to have been killed.
• Since 2022, North Korea has provided Moscow with ballistic missiles and artillery to further its war against Ukraine.
• North Korea's biggest trading partner is China, with investment and economic support crucial for the Kim regime's survival.

Sources:

• By Francesca Ebel, published in [no original source cited, assume The Epoch Times]
• Statements by Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.
• Report by South Korean estimates of North Korean soldiers sent to Russia.
• Report by Stimson Center's Rachel Minyoung Lee on North Korea's dependence on China for investment and economic support.