Russia heavily shells residential areas in eastern Ukraine
PBS NewsHourDec 26, 2022
The Facts
In a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Mon., Russian Pres. Putin promised the two countries would expand their cooperation despite being isolated on the world stage.
Putin's letter said that closer ties would be in the interests of both countries and would help strengthen the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and all of northeast Asia.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Just as the US pushed North Korea toward China during the Korean war, it is now pushing Russia into the arms of North Korea, China, and others today. This is nothing new, and the West still hasn't accepted that liberal democracies don't and won't have sole geopolitical control of the world order.
Pro-establishment narrative
In relationships stretching back decades, Russia, China, and North Korea have long supported each other's shared rejection of Western democracy, and this announcement is nothing new. If Russia continues to ignore the rules-based global order and strengthen military ties with countries like North Korea and China, the US could be facing deep instability in two theaters.
