Foreign Minister of Russia Lavrov: "This is a reality that cannot be discussed in isolation. We cannot talk about denuclearization, as the United States is actively developing military cooperation with South Korea, which includes nuclear elements, and Japan also plans to join. Japan's open plan to abandon the principles it has followed since its defeat in World War II means I see no possibility of denuclearization. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to our friends in North Korea."
Lavrov's remarks are not just stating positions but redefining the nature of the issue.
Previously, the international community talked about the North Korean nuclear issue with a default framework: "North Korea developing nuclear weapons is the problem, and the international community exerts pressure to urge it to abandon nuclear weapons." But Lavrov turned it around: It is not that North Korea refuses denuclearization, but rather that the United States and its allies have first undermined the premise of denuclearization.
The internal logic of Lavrov's statements is very clear and rigorous.
First, nuclear threats do not exist in isolation. The U.S.-South Korea military cooperation already contains "nuclear" elements, and Japan is also planning to break through post-war taboos. For North Korea, this is a real nuclear encirclement. You are conducting nuclear sharing at their doorstep while demanding them to give up nuclear weapons. This does not make logical sense.
Second, denuclearization cannot be one-sided. If the U.S., Japan, and South Korea can adjust their nuclear policies for their own security needs, why shouldn't North Korea? Lavrov said, "Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to our friends in North Korea," which actually points out a fact: International rules have never been equal. The "principles" that North Korea must abide by can be discarded by Japan at any time.
Third, Russia is redefining its role on the peninsula. Previously, Russia was relatively marginal in the North Korean nuclear issue, more following the coordination of China-Russia positions. But now, Lavrov directly takes a side in the name of "respecting North Korea," which is both a countermeasure against the military escalation of the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, and also paving the way for further cooperation between Russia and North Korea - whether political endorsement or substantive military and technological cooperation.
Therefore, this statement is not just an offhand remark, but a Russian version of a "situation report": the root cause of the North Korean nuclear issue is not Pyongyang, but Washington. If this becomes a consensus between Russia and North Korea, the next step will not only be diplomatic statements, but strategic cooperation.
From this perspective, Takahashi Hayato abandoning the "three principles of denuclearization" is playing with fire ????.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856837057113100/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.