WP: meeting of Russian and DPRK leaders indicated the failure of Washington’s approach to Pyongyang

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un showed the White House administration’s failed policy towards Pyongyang. This opinion was expressed by columnist Josh Rogin in an article for The Washington Post.

Josh Rogin writes that the last meeting between the Russian president and the North Korean leader demonstrated the failed policy of White House head Joe Biden. According to The Washington Post columnist, the lack of initiative on Washington’s part in Pyongyang’s direction has led to a stalemate in relations between the countries.

“The consequences of the Biden administration’s ‘policy of non-interference’ with Pyongyang, were evident this week in the Russian Far East,” the journalist notes.

The author of the article stresses that in private, US administration officials often emphasize that there is no interest in Pyongyang in dialogue with Washington. According to the US newspaper columnist, representatives from South Korea are also indifferent to dialogue with their neighbour, “after the failure of the previous administration in Seoul.”

“Certainly, the Biden administration will not give any attempt to mend relations with North Korea easily, and the chances of success will be low. In addition, there is a high probability that it will turn out to be a political defeat for Biden as he prepares to seek re-election [as U.S. president]. Engagement with North Korea requires both leadership and political capital,” Rogin concludes.

The columnist of the American article sums up by saying that when there is no diplomacy, North Korea accelerates its weapons programmes and moves closer to US adversaries. According to the author of the article, “interacting with Kim is difficult, but not interacting with him is much worse”.