Wednesday, January 17, 2018

President Trump: Russia Is Helping North Korea Skirt Sanctions

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 17, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Reuters: Exclusive: Trump says Russia helping North Korea skirt sanctions; Pyongyang getting close on missile

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Russia is helping North Korea get supplies in violation of international sanctions and that Pyongyang is getting “closer every day” to being able to deliver a long-range missile to the United States.

“Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea,” Trump said during an Oval Office interview with Reuters. “What China is helping us with, Russia is denting. In other words, Russia is making up for some of what China is doing.”

China and Russia both signed onto the latest rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea imposed last year. There was no immediate comment from the Russian embassy in Washington on Trump’s remarks.

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WNU Editor: I do not know if Russia is breaking sanctions against North Korea, but there are a lot of North Koreans working on construction sites in Russia .... Russia's hidden world of North Korean labor(CNN). On a side note, this is interesting (behind WSJ paywall) .... Tillerson Refuses to Say if Trump, Kim Jong Un Have Spoken (WSJ).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cause the sanctions are uncalled for. Plenty of Countries have nuclear arsenals, yet you want to sanction NK for them. We all know that sanctions are preemptive measures to war, to weaken a country before a full blown invasion.

Bob Huntley said...

It seems the US created the problem and is unhappy Russia isn't helping them.

B.Poster said...

Anonymous,

North Korea has threatened to destroy us and are continuing to do so. As such, any measures we can take would be justified.

With that said I have suggested as options: 1.) South Korea becoming nuclear armed and acting as a buffer between us and North Korea allowing us to remove our forces. I think we might even end up with a more reliable ally if this is done. 2.)Cut South Korea loose entirely. They aren't a particularly trustworthy ally and may even be a treacherous one at that. Once freed from the yoke of South Korea, we would be in a better position to negotiate a peace arrangement with North Korea and we would have more options at our disposal should war become necessary.

I've observed enforcing sanctions on North Korea are going to be extremely difficult especially with regards to Russia and China. Russia and China have been close friends of the Norks for some time now and there are no doubt many in high places in the governments of China and Russia who wish to continue this relationship. So, while Russia and China have agreed to the sanctions, if we move to fast and to forcefully at the start the governments of China and Russia may be facing coups with the new governments rejecting entirely sanctions or any other measures that might be able to stop the North Korean threat short of war and would be much more openly supportive of the Norks.

While, in my considered opinion, the diplomacy of POTUS and his team has been brilliant to date there is still allot that can go wrong. As a benefit of this, we may have some time to build up our military capabilities and bolster our homeland defense which would enhance our chances should war become inevitable. I would suggest we partake in this opportunity.