For about two decades after the Cold War, Russia sought to establish close ties with the European Union, the United States and other countries of the collective West. For practical reasons the then-weakened Russia did not strengthen ties with old allies such as Vietnam and North Korea.
Moscow did not want any kind of hostility with NATO, seeking to build a mutually beneficial relationship that would defuse tensions and create an atmosphere of peace and cooperation worldwide. However, US-led NATO had other plans.
NATO’s proxy wars against Russia
The 2008 NATO-orchestrated Georgia war was the first direct conflict between a Western proxy and the Russian military on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Thus opened the Pandora’s Box that brought another great war, this time in Ukraine, one of the most important republics of the USSR that was essentially occupied by NATO in 2014 with the Maidan coup and with everything based on its claims Russian.
Since then, the Kremlin has been fully focused on building an alternative system that would give the world the opportunity to choose a much more sovereign path. However, even after 2014, Russia tried to ensure peace by promoting the Minsk Agreements, but this too turned out to be another attempt to deceive Moscow, as admitted by various EU leaders at the time, who openly stated that the aim was to give the Ukrainian regime enough time to prepare for a full-scale war with Russia.
Russia’s strategic counterattack in 2022
Realizing that it cannot trust a single word of a Western leader, the Kremlin launched a full strategic counterattack on February 24, 2022. The war in Ukraine has become a kind of Lydia’s stone as to who exactly are Moscow’s friends and allies. And Russia was certainly not disappointed by the developments.
In addition to the multipolar world officially remaining neutral but continuing to strengthen economic ties with Russia, the Eurasian giant has rekindled ties with its old Cold War friends. This is especially true of North Korea, which is essentially a regional superpower, capable of dealing crushing blows to the US if they decide to attack it. However, Pyongyang is far from the only ally Russia could count on.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent Asian tour showed that Moscow can rely on others, as evidenced by his visit to Vietnam, where a number of important agreements were signed, effectively restoring the alliance between the two countries. Hanoi’s rapidly growing economy makes it one of the most prominent states in Southeast Asia and the leading regional power.
Close ties with Iran also continue to grow in almost all aspects, be it economic, military, scientific and even space cooperation. The massive growth of the BRICS+ further enhances this process while promoting regional stability in the Middle East, which is in stark contrast to US-emanated Western policies.
The ongoing bloodshed in the region is a direct consequence of decades of NATO aggression against any remote sovereign country in the Middle East, according to the thinking of the Russian elite. Precisely because of this, many states are waking up and establishing closer ties with Russia, be it Sudan and Egypt or many other countries throughout the region.
This also applies to many other states in Africa, where the Russian private military company “Wagner” works closely with at least 6 countries, with the main focus on fighting terrorist groups supported by NATO.
Russian presence in US backyard
The Kremlin is also rebuilding alliances in Latin America, which is now beginning to push back against American neocolonialism. The recent visits of a world-class Russian nuclear submarine (specifically the Yasen-M class K-561 Kazan SSGN) to Cuba prove that Moscow is ready to move the geopolitical power game to the US backyard. It is a reminder, according to Russia, that if they decide to escalate there will be no missile defense anywhere.
Apparently, in addition to Cuba, Russia also maintains close ties to Venezuela, another Latin American country that the US has tried to invade many times, all unsuccessfully. The Kremlin’s procurement of advanced fighter jets and long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems has given all these countries a significant asymmetric advantage.
What shocked the West
However, what really shocked the West is the new agreement Russia signed with North Korea. The full text of the agreement includes 23 articles concerning the close economic, diplomatic, scientific and military cooperation between the two countries.
“However, what really caught the attention of the US and its allies were Articles 3 and 4. That is, these two clauses effectively and legally turn Moscow and Pyongyang into full military allies, an agreement that the Kremlin has not has with anyone other than the CSTO.
According to Article 3, in the event of a “direct threat or act of armed aggression against either country,” Russia and North Korea “shall coordinate their positions and agree on possible practical measures to assist each other to assist in eliminate the emerging threat.”
But Article 4 is even more direct: “Should one of the Parties be attacked by any State or States and thereby be in a state of war, the other Party shall immediately render military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and in accordance with the legislation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation.”
This unprecedented development means that US foreign policy has now “succeeded” in creating a new military alliance of nuclear-armed states against it. While this only involves two countries at the moment, it could easily expand to others in the region, with China an obvious candidate as it also faces unrelenting US aggression. However, this alliance could soon go far beyond East Asia and include many other countries around the world.
In addition to military cooperation, the agreement in question between Moscow and Pyongyang also includes coordinated diplomatic efforts and geopolitical initiatives.
Specifically, according to Article 5, the two countries agree not to enter into agreements with third parties that are against their interests, which means that Russia will block UN initiatives against North Korea.
The collective West is reeling
In practical terms, the deal would also allow Moscow to tap into Pyongyang’s vast stockpile of conventional weapons (especially cheap artillery ammunition, rockets and missiles), while North Korea would have access to Russia’s advanced military technologies, including electronic warfare (EW) , SAM systems, space weapons as well as fighter aircraft.
All this will significantly expand the capabilities of both countries. It is extremely important for the Kremlin to be able to complete the operation in Ukraine and prepare for a possible confrontation with NATO, while North Korean leader Kim Jong Un aims to secure advanced technology for his troops.
Although North Korea has made huge strides in acquiring advanced weapons systems, including hypersonic missiles (an area in which it has eclipsed even the US itself), it still needs certain technologies it does not have access to.
Either way, US-NATO aggression against Russia is finally starting to pay off as many countries are starting to push back. The joint efforts of Russia and North Korea will serve as an example to many others that only a united world can ensure the end of the Western system which is not only deeply exploitative, but is now entering the most despicable stage of all – involving the moral degeneration and social decay, destroying everything it touches.
