The United States and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea and rejected Russia's claims that the issue of the DPRK's nuclear program is allegedly already resolved. This is stated in a joint statement following a meeting of American and Japanese officials in Tokyo, Bloomberg reports, according to UNN.
Details
The parties discussed the regional security situation and expressed concern over China's nuclear buildup. The statement emphasized that the delegations "rejected Russia's claims that the DPRK's pursuit of nuclear weapons is a closed issue."
During a recent visit to Pyongyang, Chinese leader Xi Jinping did not publicly mention the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Such phrasing has also been absent from official Chinese statements following DPRK leader Kim Jong Un's visit to Beijing in September last year.
Against this backdrop, speculation has emerged that China may effectively recognize North Korea as a nuclear state. Additional attention was drawn to China's latest White Paper on nuclear non-proliferation, which also fails to mention the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
Russia has changed its approach to the DPRK
In 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow considers the issue of North Korea's denuclearization to be "closed." This position was voiced amid strengthening political and military ties between Russia and the DPRK.
At the same time, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated this week that Beijing maintains "continuity and consistency" in its policy toward the Korean Peninsula, but did not explicitly confirm commitment to the course of denuclearization.
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