North Korea is at the pinnacle of US’s nuclear strategies for its disgruntled objectivity in their program to seek for nuclear missiles that could reach the US. Trump has stated that North Korea is a threat to America’s national security for possessing nuclear missiles that could be used against America or its allies. Trump’s response to the threat is to exert pressure such as sanctions against North Korea which will force it to abandon its nuclear program. Mike Pence made a six-day tour to sensitize US allies on the danger the North carries with its nuclear arsenal.
Trump made a call to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia while at the White House on Monday reminding him of the importance of taking further steps to ensure North Korea abandons its nuclear quest.
Background US-Russia Relations on Nuclear Weapons
Donald Trump in an interview with Reuter’s news agency last month complained about Russia. He stated that Moscow was not helping the US with exerting pressure against North Korea. He accused Russia of helping North Korea evade international sanctions meant to punish the North for its quest for nuclear missiles capable of reaching the US. North Korea conducted different missiles launch tests with the sixth as its largest in defiance with UN resolutions.
In a recent statement the US released about its nuclear review policy, the US accused Russia of violating a series of commitments and arms control treaties. The report claimed that Russia was not reducing their nuclear arsenals and was instead looking to update them by modernizing them. On both accounts, Moscow denied it failed to uphold UN sanctions against North Korea. In regards to the US report, Russia stated that the allegations were not true. It also threatened that if the US upgrades their nuclear arsenal as stated in the document, they too will have to do so to build up a defense against the US.
When Pence traveled to South Korea for the Winter Olympics, he said that the US will intensify its campaigns against Pyongyang. Trump’s call to Putin suggests it’s one of the moves to increase pressure against North Korea.
Evidence Russia helped North Korea avert UN Sanctions
Three Western European intelligence sources revealed to Reuters that North Korea shipped coal to Russia at least three times last year after Russia had signed off on United Nations Security Council sanctions against the North including the ban on coal exports. Coal is an important source of foreign currency that the North needs for its nuclear program.
The sources clarified that the coal was shipped to the ports of Kholmsk and Nakhodka. It was offloaded into different ships which took the coal to South Korea and Japan. The move was to conceal that the coal was not from North Korea.
