Putin opposes North Korea oil embargo
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Russian President Vladimir Putin smile during their summit in Vladivostok, Russia, which took place on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, Wednesday. / Yonhap
Two leaders condemn NK’s nuclear test
By Kim Rahn
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected President Moon Jae-in’s request to play a role in imposing an oil embargo on North Korea in their summit in Vladivostok, Wednesday.
Moon said Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are the only leaders who can stop North Korea’s provocations, according to Moon’s chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan.
“During the summit, Moon told Putin that tougher sanctions are required to make Pyongyang come forward for dialogue. He said an oil embargo on the North was inevitable this time, requesting Russia’s cooperation,” Yoon said.
While the United States and its allies are seeking to cut oil supplies to North Korea as part of sanctions for its sixth nuclear test, Russia and China, two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), have remained negative on this.
“Putin said any pressure won’t make the North give up its nuclear program for its security. He said Russia opposes Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons development, but worries the oil embargo may make the North Korean people suffer,” Yoon said.
The summit in Vladivostok was on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, a regional meeting aimed at boosting economic cooperation in Northeast Asia.
The two leaders condemned Pyongyang’s provocations in principle and pledged more cooperation, but fell short of coming up with detailed joint countermeasures.
The bilateral talks came three days after North Korea’s sixth nuclear test, in which it claimed to have exploded a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
At the beginning of their talks, Moon said if the North does not stop its provocations, the situation may reach an uncontrollable level, calling for more active cooperation from Russia.
But at the joint press conference afterward, the two leaders only reaffirmed the theoretical need to address the issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“We strongly condemn Pyongyang’s nuclear tests,” Moon said in a joint press conference. “We agreed that the North is taking the wrong path with its nuclear and missile development, and relieving tension on the peninsula is the most urgent task.”
Putin also said the North’s nuclear test was unacceptable and was in violation of UNSC resolutions.
But he showed opposition to more pressure on the North, specifically a halt or cut of oil supplies to North Korea, a move being discussed by the international community including Seoul.
“The North Korean nuclear issue cannot be solved only by pressure and sanctions,” he said through a translator. “Now we should not react emotionally and drive North Korea into a dead-end alley, but we have to have a cool-headed approach toward the issue and make efforts to relieve tension. Without political and diplomatic methods, we cannot solve the situation with only sanctions.”
Moon said he would promote his plans for economic cooperation and development involving the two Koreas and Russia’s Far East region. “If the North gives up its nuclear weapons and neighboring countries guarantee the regime’s stability, the two Koreas and Russia can achieve co-prosperity by linking railways, electricity networks and gas pipelines through the three countries,” Yoon quoted Moon as saying.
It was the two leaders’ second summit following the first one during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July.
Other participants in the summit included Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Northern Economic Cooperation Committee head Song Young-gil and National Security Office Second Deputy Director Nam Gwan-pyo. Those from the Russian side included Yury Trutnev, deputy prime minister and presidential plenipotentiary envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District; Sergey Lavrov, foreign minister; Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser; and Alexander Galushka, minister for the development of the Russian Far East.
The summit was delayed for about 30 minutes as Putin came to the venue late. Cheong Wa Dae officials said the 30-minute delay was expected, adding Putin is infamous for habitually being late for summit meetings _ he was about 40 minutes late for talks with Moon’s predecessor Park Geun-hye in 2013, and 105 minutes in 2016.
Later in the day, Moon had talks with new Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga, and talked on ways to expand economic cooperation and cultural exchanges. He also asked for Mongolia’s cooperation in resolving the North Korea issue as a member of the international community.
On the second day of his visit to Vladivostok Thursday, Moon will have a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who is also participating in the forum. They will discuss effective and strong sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear program.
He will also have a meeting with native Koreans living in the city. In the afternoon, the President will deliver a keynote speech at the forum and introduce his vision for economic development and co-prosperity of not only the Korean Peninsula but also the Far East, Northeast Asia and Eurasia.