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West running out of levers of pressure on Russia, DPRK, says expert

According to Park Byung-hwan, there seems to be nothing more the US can do

SEOUL, August 14./TASS/. Western countries led by the US have run out of ideas about how to throw a wrench in the alliance between Russia and North Korea, Park Byung-hwan, the director of the Institute for Eurasian Strategic Studies and former minister counselor at the embassy of the Republic of Korea in Russia, has told TASS.

"NATO, including the US, has stated that it intends to prevent Russia and North Korea from cooperating, but it seems that they have no measures that can be put into practice," the analyst said. "There seems to be nothing more the US can do as it has essentially used up all means to exert pressure and impose sanctions not only against North Korea but also against Russia," the expert added.

In July, a joint declaration was adopted at NATO’s summit in Washington D.C., attended by Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. In it, the parties condemned the alleged arms trade between Russian Federation and the DPRK as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and noted "with great concern the deepening ties between the DPRK and Russia."

Moscow has repeatedly rejected accusations of illegal defense cooperation with Pyongyang. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dubbed these allegations as rumors.

"In the Republic of Korea, [some] imagine that China will be unhappy with the rapprochement between Russia and the North and quietly wait to see what role Beijing will play. But China will have no reason to play such a role in a situation where both Beijing and Moscow are under pressure from the US," the expert added.

On June 18, Seoul hosted a meeting of the security and foreign policy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level between the Republic of Korea and China. Representatives of the Republic of Korea conveyed to China their concerns over the development of cooperation between Russia and the DPRK. South Korean media noted that these talks took place against the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin's expected visit to the DPRK. On June 19, Russia and the DPRK concluded the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which envisages immediate military assistance in case of a defensive war.

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