러시아ㆍ유라시아

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has reportedly instructed U.S. diplomats to engage like-minded countries in reaching out to Beijing to express concerns about North Korea sending troops into Russia. Such appeals to Beijing are likely to have little effect because China has shown no inclination over the last two years of the conflict to interfere in Vladimir Putin’s conduct of the war and, indeed, has been the major source of both military-industrial and economic assistance. That said, China has shown a great deal of anxiety over the trajectory of the relationship between their difficult neighbor Kim Jong-un and Putin because it does not wish to be associated with an “axis of upheaval.” The United States and its allies might do well to consider leveraging this Chinese angst by offering joint clandestine intelligence and collection operations designed to ascertain both the future dimensions of the North Korea-Russia alliance and the extent to which President Putin is providing dangerous advanced military technology in exchange for Pyongyang’s support to the war effort.