Russia builds first road bridge to North Korea
Satellite images showed work has begun on both banks of the Tumen River, close to the Russian border town of Khasan.
Mikhail Mishustin, the Russian prime minister, took part in an opening ceremony via a video link, with Kremlin media quoting him as saying that the project will be a 'big milestone for Russian-Korean relations'.
The bridge 'symbolises our comment intention to strengthen neighbourly relations, to boost trans-regional cooperation', Mr Mishustin said.
Moscow and Pyongyang are rapidly ramping up military and economic cooperation, with the hermit kingdom this week confirming for the first time it had sent troops to Russia to fight against Ukraine.
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, said the deployment was a 'sacred mission for further consolidating as firm as a rock' relations between the internationally-isolated states.
According to Russian state media, the new bridge will be a little over half-a-mile mile long and construction will take 18 months to complete.
It will stand around 400 yards downstream from a railway bridge that has served as the two nations' only land link since 1959.
'The construction of the road bridge will contribute to laying an eternal foundation for the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and put on track comprehensive new development', said Pak Thae-song, vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
The bridge will greatly increase the flow of goods across the border, as well as enabling North Korea to send additional troops and equipment to support the units already fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
It is widely believed that Moscow has paid for that support by sending military technology to North Korea.
Pyongyang on Friday launched the 4,500-tonne destroyer Choe Hyon, with state media saying tests of its weapons systems were conducted this week. The warship is understood to be armed with cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and a 5-inch bow gun.
Analysts in South Korea said many of the vessel's systems — including its advanced missiles, radar and integrated air defences – closely resemble Russian designs.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic treaty in June 2024, which Pyongyang has cited to justify its commitment of troops to the war in Ukraine. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said on Monday that Russia would provide military assistance to North Korea should it be needed.
South Korean intelligence reported on Wednesday that around 600 North Korean troops have been killed fighting for Russia, with more than 4,000 injured.
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San Francisco Chronicle
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NEW DELHI (AP) — The men shared bear hugs, showered praise on each other and made appearances side by side at stadium rallies — a big optics boost for two populist leaders with ideological similarities. Each called the other a good friend. In India, the bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump was seen as a relationship like no other. That is, until a series of events gummed up the works. From Trump's tariffs and India's purchase of oil from Russia to a U.S. tilt towards Pakistan, friction between New Delhi and Washington has been hard to miss. And much of it has happened far from the corridors of power and, unsurprisingly, through Trump's posts on social media. It has left policy experts wondering whether the camaraderie the two leaders shared may be a thing of the past, even though Trump has stopped short of referring to Modi directly on social media. 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Boston Globe
10 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Modi and Trump once called each other good friends. Now the US-India relationship is getting bumpy.
From Trump's tariffs and India's purchase of oil from Russia to a U.S. tilt towards Pakistan, friction between New Delhi and Washington has been hard to miss. And much of it has happened far from the corridors of power and, unsurprisingly, through Trump's posts on social media. Advertisement It has left policy experts wondering whether the camaraderie the two leaders shared may be a thing of the past, even though Trump has stopped short of referring to Modi directly on social media. The dip in rapport, some say, puts a strategic bilateral relationship built over decades at risk. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'This is a testing time for the relationship,' said Ashok Malik, a former policy adviser in India's Foreign Ministry. The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Simmering tensions over trade and tariffs The latest hiccup between India and the U.S. emerged last week when Trump announced that he was slapping 25% tariffs on India as well as an unspecified penalty because of India's purchasing of Russian oil. For New Delhi, such a move from its largest trading partner is expected to be felt across sectors, but it also led to a sense of unease in India — even more so when Trump, on social media, called India's economy 'dead.' Advertisement Trump's recent statements reflect his frustration with the pace of trade talks with India, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal administration thinking. The Republican president has not been pursuing any strategic realignment with Pakistan, according to the official, but is instead trying to play hardball in negotiations. 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Newsweek
39 minutes ago
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