Ukraine allies to push China on Russia-North Korea ties at G-20

Ukraine’s allies will look to pressure China over North Korea’s growing support for Russia’s war during a Group of 20 Summit in Brazil, according to people familiar with the matter.

The allies are extremely concerned about North Korea’s decision to send troops to fight against Ukraine, and believe the deepening cooperation between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un could have consequences on the security balance in the Indo-Pacific region, said the people, who asked not to be identified to discuss private assessments. The U.S. is expected to adopt more sanctions against North Korea before Joe Biden leaves office, the people added.

According to the assessment of a nation in the Group of Seven, China is unlikely to be pleased with the alliance between Russia and North Korea, the people said. The upcoming G-20 summit in Rio will be an opportunity to push the issue with Beijing, said the people, without providing more specifics.

North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to fight alongside Putin’s troops in the Kursk region. In return, Russia is providing money and helping North Korea increase its capabilities, one of the people said. The person declined to provide specifics on how exactly Moscow was aiding Pyongyang to develop its military capacity. North Korea has also shipped million of rounds of artillery ammunition and other weapons to Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been the biggest benefactor to Putin and Kim in recent years, and sees both leaders as partners in pushing against the U.S.-led world order. But his government has publicly remained muted on North Korea’s troop dispatch to Russia — a sign that Xi is unhappy with the arrangement.

Even while supporting both Russia and North Korea, Xi has sought to portray Beijing as neutral regarding the war in Ukraine and pushed to improve ties with the U.S. and its allies, not least to help ensure exports continue to buoy China’s struggling economy. The Kim-Putin partnership risks adding economic pressure on China, and it undermines Beijing’s argument that the U.S. shouldn’t have military alliances in the Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. State Department said this week that North Korean soldiers had begun engaging in combat operations alongside Russian forces in Kursk. Russia has been trying to dislodge Ukrainian forces from the region after they captured certain areas in a surprise incursion earlier this year.

Officials are also expected to raise China’s own support for Russia, and in particular its supply of critical components used to make weapons and drones. Beijing has repeatedly said it doesn’t provide Russia with lethal aid and says it controls its exports of dual-use items.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman avoided a question about potential pressure from Ukraine’s allies when asked Thursday at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

—With assistance from Lucille Liu and Philip Glamann.