Photos and a hug, all smiles. On Friday, September 13, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to strengthen ties with Moscow during a meeting with Russian security chief Sergei Shoigu, who was received in North Korea. “There was a wide exchange of views on the issues of deepening strategic dialogue between the two countries and strengthening cooperation to safeguard mutual security interests, as well as on the regional and international situation,” the official KCNA news agency announced.
For several months, the United States and South Korea have accused Pyongyang, relying in particular on analyses provided by the investigative body Conflict Armament Research, of having supplied munitions and missiles to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, which Pyongyang denies.
Key facts
⇒ In North Korea, Kim Jong-un met with the head of Russian security
⇒ Washington and London delay on long-range missiles
⇒ Russia announces exchange of 206 prisoners with kyiv
Russia announces exchange of 206 prisoners with kyiv
Russia announced on Saturday that it had completed an exchange of 206 prisoners from both sides with Ukraine, which involves Russian soldiers captured during the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk border region. “As a result of the negotiation process, 103 Russian servicemen captured in the Kursk region were returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime. In return, 103 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian armed forces were handed over,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
According to the ministry, the United Arab Emirates provided “mediation efforts” to allow the exchange to take place. “All Russian soldiers (exchanged, editor’s note) are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance,” the source added. The Ukrainian authorities have not yet officially confirmed the exchange.
On August 24, Russia and Ukraine announced that they had carried out, also with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates, an exchange of 230 prisoners, including Russian soldiers already taken prisoner in the Kursk region.
Long-range missiles against Russia: Washington and London wait and see
The United States and Britain are stalling on whether to green light Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles against Russia, a sensitive issue that has sparked a new surge in tensions between Moscow and Kiev’s Western allies.
“The next few months and weeks could be decisive” in the war, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed on Friday, during a visit to Washington. After his meeting with Joe Biden at the White House, he specified that it “was an opportunity to talk, not about a specific step or tactic, but about the strategy in Ukraine”, indicating that the discussion would continue, with other allies, on the occasion of the next United Nations General Assembly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding that his allies allow him to strike deep into Russian soil military targets deemed “legitimate”, such as air bases from which planes bombing Ukraine take off. But so far, the West, led by the Americans, has held back, fearing that such a decision could be seen by Russia as an escalation.
Ukraine targeted by 70 attack drones on the night of Friday to Saturday, Zelensky denounces
In a morning message posted on Telegram, the Ukrainian president claims that Russia has launched “more than 70 Shahed-type attack drones across Ukraine.” “Thanks to the forces of our defenders, most of them have been shot down,” he assured. Before launching a new appeal to his allies: “We need more air shield, air defense and long-range capabilities to continue to protect the lives of our people.”
US approves sale of F-35 fighters to Romania
The United States has approved the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Romania, a deal valued at $7.2 billion, according to a statement from the State Department released Friday. The deal, which still needs approval from the U.S. Congress, involves Bucharest acquiring 32 F-35A jets, as well as engines. The contract benefits arms giant Lockheed Martin.
“This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by enhancing the security of a NATO ally that is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the statement said. The deal comes as Ukrainian pilots began training this week on F-16 fighter jets at a special training center in Romania, as Kiev seeks to accelerate the use of the valuable American fighters to repel Russian strikes.
Romania occupies a strategic position at the gateway to Ukraine and the Black Sea, and wants to become “an international hub” for F-16 training.