Russia soon to begin to build road bridge to North Korea
The bridge was agreed during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in 2024 when the two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.
The road bridge will be built near the existing "Friendship Bridge" rail bridge which was commissioned in 1959 after the Korean war. An ancient wooden bridge used to cross the border in the early 20th century but it was destroyed, according to Russian media.
"The construction of the bridge has not yet begun," Alexander Matsegora, Russia's ambassador to North Korea, told RIA.
"The parties are carrying out preparatory work, finalising design documentation, forming construction crews and columns of equipment," he said.
The road bridge, which has been under discussion for years, will be 850 metres (2789 ft) and link up with the Russian highway system.
South Korean satellite imagery analysis firm SI Analytics said in a March 5 report that work on the bridge's foundations and road links appeared to have begun.
"With the rapid construction of this bridge following the existing rail link, the only passage between North Korea and Russia, a sharp increase in economic, social, and military exchanges is anticipated," the report said.
"This could potentially lead to a gradual erosion of the effectiveness of international sanctions against North Korea and Russia."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump's 50-day Ukraine ultimatum is doomed to fail
President Trump campaigned on a promise to end the Ukraine war within 2 4 hours of returning to the White House. Now back in the White House, he finds himself hemmed in by the realities of great-power politics. Trump's self-confidence has collided with the entrenched dynamics of a grinding conflict. Frustrated, he has turned to familiar tools of coercion: threats, pressure tactics and a new flow of advanced weapons to Kyiv. Trump's latest initiative gives Moscow a 50-day deadline to end its war in Ukraine. He has threatened secondary sanctions on Russia's key trading partners and opened a fresh weapons pipeline to Kyiv, hoping this twin-pronged approach will force Russian President Vladimir Putin's hand. But like Trump's earlier attempts to employ brute pressure as a substitute for diplomacy, this initiative reflects impatience more than strategic clarity. Trump once believed that his personal rapport with Putin, coupled with a dealmaker's instinct, could bring about a ceasefire. But six months into his new term, his peace push lies in tatters. Russia continues to press its territorial ambitions, while Ukraine, bolstered by Western military support, shows little interest in making major concessions. Instead of a breakthrough, Trump faces a deepening quagmire. The irony is unmistakable — the president who pledged to end America's entanglements in ' forever wars ' is now escalating U.S. involvement in one that is deflecting American attention away from more-pressing strategic challenges, including from China, which is seeking to supplant the U.S. as the world's foremost power. Trump's new Ukraine strategy bears an eerie resemblance to his Iran policy, when he tried to bomb Tehran into submission, only to end up entrenching animosities further and weakening U.S. leverage. There is no doubt that ending the war in Ukraine is in America's strategic interest. The conflict has absorbed vast U.S. resources, diverted diplomatic bandwidth and strained transatlantic cohesion. More importantly, the war has delayed Washington's ability to focus on the key Indo-Pacific region — the world's emerging economic and geopolitical nerve center. The pivot to the Indo-Pacific is not merely aspirational. A leaked memorandum titled 'Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,' signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, identifies China as the Pentagon's 'sole pacing threat.' The Trump administration is seeking to reorient the U.S. military posture to prepare for a potential showdown in Asia over Chinese aggression against democratic Taiwan. The war in Ukraine, by draining American attention, resources and capabilities, undermines this rebalancing. Seen from this angle, Trump is right to seek an end to the conflict. But his approach — escalating arms transfers while threatening punitive sanctions on countries that do business with Russia — is unlikely to yield peace. If anything, it risks prolonging the war by reinforcing the belief in Kyiv that Washington remains committed to a military solution. In fact, Trump's threat to impose harsh penalties on Russia's trading partners lacks credibility. Such sanctions would trigger a U.S. showdown with China, which trades nearly $250 billion annually with Russia, including major oil and gas imports. Sanctioning India could upend America's Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at maintaining a stable balance of power. History offers little support for the notion that coercion alone can deliver durable peace. Military pressure may bring parties to the table, but diplomacy is what cements outcomes. The Dayton Accords, which ended the Bosnian war, and the Camp David Accords, which brought peace between Egypt and Israel, were both products of tough negotiations rather than deadlines and threats. Trump's maximalist tactics risk backfiring on multiple fronts. Sanctioning Russia's trading partners could alienate crucial 'swing' nations in the global contest with China. These states are already wary of U.S. unilateralism, and some of them could be pushed into Beijing's orbit. Moreover, punitive economic measures often fail to change state behavior, especially when national security interests are at stake, as is the case for Russia in Ukraine. Meanwhile, a flood of advanced new U.S. weapons to Ukraine may boost short-term battlefield performance but will do little to bridge the wider diplomatic impasse. Putin, faced with increased Western backing for Kyiv, is unlikely to scale back his goals. Instead, he may double down, calculating that time and attrition are on his side. The real path to peace in Ukraine lies not in deadlines or ultimatums, but in a forward-looking diplomatic initiative that recognizes the legitimate interests of all parties while seeking to uphold Ukraine's sovereignty. The Biden administration made limited overtures in this direction, but Trump, who claims to be a great dealmaker, has an opportunity to go further. Instead of trying to impose peace through pressure alone, he must find ways to bring both sides to the table — with credible inducements and face-saving compromises. This will require working with international partners — not just NATO allies, but also influential neutral states like India and the United Arab Emirates that can serve as mediators. It will also require a nuanced understanding of Russia's domestic political constraints and Ukraine's security concerns. None of this is easy, but it is more likely to succeed than a strategy built on coercion and deadlines. Despite promising to end the war quickly, Trump now finds himself caught in the same bind as his predecessor. His failure to secure a ceasefire has deepened America's involvement in the war — the very entanglement he vowed to end. Unless he pivots toward a more diplomatic course, his 50-day ultimatum to Moscow will go the way of his 24-hour pledge: unmet and quietly shelved. Deadlines don't make peace. Diplomacy does.
Eater
28 minutes ago
- Eater
The Grocery Store That's Listening to Customers and Lowering Prices
is the lead editor of the Northeast region with more than 20 years of experience as a reporter, critic, editor, and cookbook author. Jubilee, a local New York grocery store chain, most known for its location in Greenpoint, has taken a brave and bold step by… listening to its customers. Young Kim's shop already had a loyal following that gained momentum over a year ago due to its wildly inexpensive (and actually good) $2.75 burger; later, Kim added equally affordable deals on rotisserie chicken and bibimbap buffet, particularly in its Fidi outpost. But some complained on channels like Reddit that, while the prepared foods deals couldn't be beat, the groceries — no matter how vast the selection (including New York-based brands otherwise hard to find) — were too high-priced. This week, Kim is making amends and posted to Instagram saying, 'I'm sorry for the shitty high prices and you were right. I thought I was putting the right mark up but if the majority of the community is saying it's too expensive, then it's too expensive, end of story.' The timing is spot-on: As consumers brace for another round of price hikes at all grocery stores – in part because of President Trump's whiplash tariffs – people are anxious. So far, Young has lowered some prices around his shop, but he has about '20,000 items' more. It's a move that caught the attention of the New York Times yesterday. 'Jubilee's prices tallied to $30 more expensive than a nearby chain store,' Kim told the publication. 'That's a number that you can't really ignore.' Will Kim be able to stay in business as he drops prices to match bigger stores? 'I don't know if he fully understands the consequences,' videographer Rob Martinez – who also sat down with Kim – told author Pete Wells, 'I assume he does.' Asian market chain 99 Ranch will debut in Flushing at 37-11 Main Street, between 37th and 38th avenues, on July 25. To celebrate the opening, the shop will have specials all weekend, as well as a lion dance and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A smart rebrand After opening in February, Golden HOF and NY Kimchi — the combination, bi-level Korean restaurants near Rockefeller Center (16 W. 48th Street, near Fifth Avenue)— is simplifying. Owner Sam Yoo is taking two separate menus and folding items from both spots into a singular brand, calling the restaurant Golden Hof Korean Bar & Grill. The streamline will be easier for guests to understand, says Yoo, who also owns downtown's Golden Diner. Moving forward, it will be one menu on both floors – aside from the Korean barbecue, which will be in the grill room on the lower level. Eater NY All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
CNBC
29 minutes ago
- CNBC
Oil prices rise after EU new sanctions on Russia
Crude oil futures rose on Friday while gasoil futures jumped to a 17-month high as investors weighed new European Union sanctions against Russia. Brent crude futures climbed 89 cents, or 1.3%, to $70.41 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 96 cents, or 1.4%, to $68.50. The premium on low-sulphur gasoil futures to Brent crude was up $3.50 at $27.27, the almost 15% increase lifting the spread to its highest since February 2024. The EU reached an agreement on an 18th sanctions package against Russia over its war in Ukraine, which includes measures aimed at dealing further blows to Russia's oil and energy industries. Its latest sanctions package will lower the G7's price cap for buying Russian crude oil to $47.6 a barrel, diplomats told Reuters. The EU will also no longer import any petroleum products made from Russian crude, though the ban will not apply to imports from Norway, Britain, the U.S., Canada and Switzerland, EU diplomats said. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also said on X that the EU has designated the largest Rosneft oil refinery in India as part of the measures. Higher gasoil futures could be driven by an EU ban on fuel imports derived from Russian crude, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said, as well as low inventories in northwest Europe. The EU and UK have imported about 196,000 barrels per day of refined fuel from India so far this year, the majority of which was diesel, gasoil and jet fuel, according to data from analytics business Kpler. Europe produces less diesel and jet fuel than it consumes, making it reliant on imports from other regions. "This shows the market fears the loss of diesel supply into Europe, as India had been a source of barrels," said Rystad Energy's vice president of oil markets, Janiv Shah. Investors were considering the potential impact of the price cap change and vessel designations on crude markets. Investors are awaiting news from the U.S. on possible further sanctions after President Donald Trump this week threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Moscow agrees a peace deal in 50 days. "Ultimately, it is now a matter of waiting for possible major changes in U.S. sanctions and tariff policy," Commerzbank analysts said in a note. The U.S. has not backed Europe on the latest sanctions package, leaving the EU with limited power to enforce the measures. "We expect limited impact from the lower price cap and tanker sanctions; landed prices for diesel in Europe could increase somewhat due to larger logistics issues to get products into Europe, but we think enforcement challenges limit the impact on flows," said BNP Paribas analyst Aldo Spanjer. Prices could also have received support after Reuters reported that a restart of Iraq's Kurdish oil exports is not imminent despite Iraq's federal government saying on Thursday that shipments would resume immediately.
