North Korea, China and Russia Commemorate ‘Victory’ 70 Years ago, while Aligning on Ukraine
Brad Lendon and Gawon Bae | CNN
Delegations from Russia and China, North Korea’s key allies in the Korean War, gathered in Pyongyang this week to celebrate North Korea’s “Victory Day” in the war that ravaged the Korean Peninsula seven decades ago as they align over another very contemporary conflict – Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu – an architect of Moscow’s assault on Ukraine – a tour of a defense exposition in Pyongyang on Wednesday, with images from North Korean media showing them walking past an array of weaponry, from Pyongyang’s nuclear-capable ballistic missiles to its newest drones.
Iran Gives ‘Detailed Answers’ to UN Inspectors Over 2 Sites Where Manmade Uranium Particles Found
JON GAMBRELL | Associated Press
Iran said Wednesday it gave new details to the United Nations about two sites near Tehran that inspectors say bore traces of manmade uranium, part of a wider probe as tensions remain high over the Islamic Republic’s advancing program. The comments by Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s civilian nuclear program, come as Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers remains in tatters and as Tehran enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Resolving questions from the International Atomic Energy Agency could see Iran avoid further censure as an October deadline approaches that would lift international restrictions on its ballistic missile program as well.
US Proposal for Talks with Russia on Keeping Nuclear Arms Curbs in Limbo
Jonathan Landay | Reuters
The United States and Russia blamed each other for a lack of progress on arms control following a U.S. proposal to open talks on a "framework" that would preserve curbs on strategic nuclear weapons deployments when the current limits expire in 2026. Russia's apparent rejection of the plan last week and what several arms control experts say was a White House failure to formally convey it to Moscow have fueled concerns about whether there would be enough time to reach a new pact.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Makes Shutdown Transition for Maintenance
Reuters
Operators carrying out maintenance at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant have switched the shutdown mode of two reactors, the Moscow-installed administration of the plant, located on the war's front-line, said on Tuesday.
Blinken Says Door Open for New Zealand to Engage on AUKUS
Lucy Craymer and Renju Jose | Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the door was open for New Zealand to engage with the AUKUS weapons development and procurement project between the United States, Britain and Australia.…"The door's very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage as they see appropriate going forward," Blinken told a news conference in Wellington. "We've long worked together on the most important national security issues. And so as we further develop AUKUS, as I said, the door is open to engagement."
Why the U.S. Should Offer Concessions to North Korea
Frank Aum | Washington Post
The empirical evidence is compelling. When the United States engages North Korea, it behaves significantly better…Instead of perfunctory attempts at talks, the United States should unilaterally offer concessions to North Korea to demonstrate greater sincerity for negotiations. Academic literature suggests that conciliatory gestures, typically made first by the stronger country, can help induce reciprocal positive behavior from the other side.