Russia-North Korea Ties: Moscow Sends Wheat to Pyongyang in Showcase of Improving Relations, Diplomatic Support

Russia-North Korea Ties: Moscow Sends Wheat to Pyongyang in Showcase of Improving Relations, Diplomatic Support
Russia delivers wheat to North Korea as the two countries intensify ties amid the Ukraine invasion and deeper sanctions from the West. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

North Korea lately shipped wheat from Russia, with some members of the Workers' Party claiming that the aid was given in exchange for officially acknowledging the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), breakaway entities established by pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

Last Wednesday, grain processing facilities in South Pyongan Province, South Hwanghae Province, and elsewhere in the country received Russian whole grain wheat, which they are presently grinding.

Russia Provides Wheat to North Korea

Russian wheat, unlike North Korean wheat, features large, high-quality grains, according to sources. They claim that merely glancing at it reveals that it is imported. However, several North Koreans claim that Russia provided inferior wheat this time, observing that the wheat seemed to be over a year old and not newly harvested.

North Koreans eat dehusked corn from whole grain wheat on occasion although most imported wheat is allegedly ground into flour in grain processing plants. People may start guessing about the source if the government gave the wheat in a condition that allowed the public to view the real grains. That is why the government is crushing wheat and distributing it as flour.

The most recent wheat imported from Russia may have gone to military units or military industry-related enterprises, or it may have been sold in part to regular people through state-run food stores. Some North Koreans believe that the government would deliver the Russian wheat flour after it has been mixed with modest amounts of North Korean wheat harvested earlier this year.

North Korea thus curtailed maize cultivation and expanded the area planted with wheat and barley; nevertheless, the wheat harvest in the first half of the year was low due to agricultural supply and farming equipment limitations, as well as natural calamities such as drought and heavy storms.

North Korea reduced maize cultivation while increasing wheat and barley plantings; nonetheless, the wheat harvest in the first half of the year was poor owing to agricultural supply and farming equipment constraints, as well as natural catastrophes such as drought and strong storms.

Meanwhile, a senior North Korean official said that his government also bought energy resources from Russia, such as oil and natural gas. He said that the goods entered the nation via the Russian border region and that the oil and natural gas had already been transferred to and distributed in Pyongyang.

According to the source, both within and outside the governing party, Russia delivered help to compensate North Korea for officially backing and recognizing the independence of pro-Russian groups in eastern Ukraine, DailyNK reported.

North Korea Recently Boasted Developing Ties with Russia

The crisis in Ukraine provides a chance for North Korea to strengthen ties with Russia. Pyongyang intends to deploy laborers to the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR and LPR), giving the Kim dictatorship a much-needed source of outside cash.

Pyongyang was one of the first to acknowledge the DPR and LPR's independence, prompting Ukraine to sever diplomatic ties with North Korea. Having stated that, Pyongyang today has no barriers to deploying laborers to the republics.

In a televised address on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in response to a request from the heads of the Donbass republics he decided to carry out a special military operation to protect people who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.

Following this, the US and its partners announced the imposition of broad sanctions on Russia, as well as an increase in arms sales to Kyiv, according to Tass. North Korea celebrated the 20th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-high-profile il's trip to Russia's the Far East by emphasizing its consistent attitude in developing cordial relations with Russia.

Amid stalled inter-Korean ties and a stalemate in nuclear talks with the US, Pyongyang has recently been observed tightening ranks with its two longstanding friends, Moscow and Beijing. Despite worldwide criticism of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the secretive dictatorship backed Moscow and blamed the conflict on the US and Western hegemonic strategy, as per Korean Times.

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