As President Trump gets ready to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the focus in Europe is on Ukraine. That's also a focus in Asia, but there are other concerns that center on Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spent part of Wednesday on the phone with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Official state media in both countries report the two discussed their “deepening ties.”
Thousands of North Korean soldiers have been fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine. South Korean government officials estimate as many as 15,000 North Korean troops have been deployed since last fall, with more on the way.
One question around northeast Asia is what the North Koreans have been promised in return.
A recent piece from the Modern War Institute at West Point says the Russian government is likely paying North Korea cash for the troops by head count — as well as “providing North Korea with technology that Pyongyang cannot produce itself.”
That could include missile guidance systems and other technology from drones to satellites.
Another regional interest is China, where Russia has had some limited, but relatively high-profile partnerships.
Last week, Russia and China conducted joint naval maneuvers in an exercise run from Russia's far eastern port of Vladivostok.
The U.S. Naval Institute says the two countries simulated attacks on a submarine and an amphibious ship in the Sea of Japan, as well as rehearsing a submarine rescue during a five-day exercise.
