Unfortunately, it appears that the new Axis of Evil is alive and well. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is traveling to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok this week. Kim rarely leaves his home country, but as he usually does, he will make the trip by train and avoid any airplane travel. The two leaders plan to discuss shipments of ammunition and artillery shells to Russia and grain and other food supplies to North Korea. All such shipments would be in violation of various international sanctions in place against both countries, but since neither of them is observing those sanctions, they clearly won’t be deterred. The only question now is whether or not they will invite Iran to the party as well. (NY Times)

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, plans to travel to Russia this month to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin to discuss the possibility of supplying Russia with more weaponry for its war in Ukraine and other military cooperation, according to American and allied officials.

In a rare foray from his country, Mr. Kim would travel from Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, probably by armored train, to Vladivostok, on the Pacific Coast of Russia, where he would meet with Mr. Putin, the officials said.

Mr. Putin wants Mr. Kim to agree to send Russia artillery shells and antitank missiles, and Mr. Kim would like Russia to provide North Korea with advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, the officials said. Mr. Kim is also seeking food aid for his impoverished nation.

There had already been indications that this meeting would take place. Last week the White House released some intelligence briefings indicating that Putin and Kim had been exchanging letters and negotiating some sort of a deal that would likely involve arms shipments to Russia. It has been suggested, though not confirmed, that Kim may travel to Moscow after the meeting in Vladivostok.

Kim said last year that North Korea would be remaining neutral in the Ukrainian conflict, but that position was apparently only temporary. It’s believed that he was waiting to see how Russia might fare and feared taking sides with the loser. At this point, however, it’s difficult to say who is really “winning” in Ukraine and North Korea has few allies as it is. Kim probably doesn’t want to anger Putin any more than he has to.

This is also an important deal for North Korea. The food situation there is beyond the critical stage and the most recent harvest largely failed. In June, BBC reporters managed to speak to some residents of one of the outlying provinces in the country and were told by some residents that their neighbors had literally starved to death. Others reported that their families had simply given up hope and were waiting to die. Of course, Kim Jong-un remains relatively plump and is unaffected by this, but most reports suggest that the country is only producing enough food to feed three-quarters of the population at survival levels.

Since Russia is still playing games with the Ukrainian grain deal, they clearly have enough food to spare some for North Korea. This will further strengthen Putin’s ties inside of the new Axis of Evil and win some additional loyalty from Kim. And considering the rate at which the Russian military is burning through rockets and ammunition, whatever Kim can spare will obviously be welcome.

All of this activity is a stark reminder of how much things have changed on the Korean Peninsula in a relatively short period of time. Donald Trump engineered a change in relations that led to the end of North Korea’s nuclear provocations for several years. Relations between the two Koreas thawed to the point where they met to discuss a formal end to the war. Now, only a couple of years later, the two countries are rattling sabers again and Kim is back to launching ICBMs and threatening renewed nuclear tests. It’s a sad situation.