Home › Politics › What did Shoigu's Pyongyang visit show on 27 July 2023?
What did Shoigu's Pyongyang visit show on 27 July 2023?
Summary
A look back at a meeting in Pyongyang marking the Korean War armistice anniversary, with Russian and Chinese delegations present.
What did it mean when Russia's defence minister travelled to Pyongyang? On 27 July 2023, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese delegation met in the North Korean capital to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War.
The gathering included an exhibition of North Korean ballistic missiles, which Kim and Shoigu attended together. Those missiles have been prohibited by multiple United Nations resolutions, which both China and Russia had endorsed.
The event brought together three governments in one setting, touching both China–North Korea and North Korea–Russia relations.
Russia's other contacts that week
Three days earlier, on 24 July 2023, the United States announced sanctions on three senior Malian officials, among them Defence Minister Sadio Camara. Washington said they had helped to facilitate the presence of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group in Mali.
