Putin’s visit to North Korea

President Putin’s visit to North Korea and the revival of a Cold War defence treaty of mutual support has exacerbated the security concerns of the West, the US, South Korea and Japan. The war in Ukraine, which has shaken up the economic, political and security situation in the US, Europe and further afield continues to impact wider regions of the world. Arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, referred to by Russia as a “Special Military Operation” because its stated objective is self-defence, the war has continued unabated and shows no sign of ending. The declared fears appear to be that Russia intends to overrun Ukraine and then move on to other areas of Eastern Europe in an effort to restore the ‘Soviet Empire.’ So loud have been the alarm bells about European security that Finland and Sweden have formally joined NATO. China, India and countries of the South see the war differently and have refused to join the West in prosecuting the war.