Some are goes by in a splash. Instead guard helps you make the most of every moment you can shop. Essentials from hot dogs to paper plates to sunscreen from over twelve hundred stores, all in one up with delivery in as fast as an hour, you can, more time making the most of summer instead cart had summer to cart, download be apt to get free delivery on your first three orders offer For a limited time, minimum ten dollars per order additional terms apply. From the new york times, I'm sabrina tavern easy and is a deal in a rare move. This week, the leader of north korea Kim jong, who travelled to russia, to meet with russian president. Vladimir Putin Michael julian bombings on what russia will from north korea how far it may go to get. It and why the consequences could be dangerous,

not just for the region, but for the world. thursday September fourteen. So Julian tell me about this visit by the north korean leader to russia. I mean this is, of course, extremely isolated almost never leaves north korea any here. Vladimir Putin is giving him an audience and a red carpet treatment in russia. What's going on here, so you're right, Kim jong on almost never leaves north korea, I have a lot of allies, he doesn't have to travel for diplomatic meetings or the like. In fact, he hasn't left the borders of north korea since the covered pandemic, who have but what we Here is that kim jong on got on his armor train. He does not fly like his father and grandfather before him. He travel

by train north korean leader kim jong un slowly roles towards russia, soviet mama train cars made brief. It is usual in quite a spectacle it moves very slowly, and these are moving Alice's out fitted to the girl who was a day is long process out of north korea. he takes the train from beyond yang across the sliver of border between russia and north korea and travels to russia's far east cosmo drawn. This is the site where they have rockets missiles, the sort of basque russian technology on display, but Kim jong. Wasn't there just for a tour of ballistic missiles.

Was not there just for the launch of lincoln berries and doc doing it has since been slowly and he was there to make a deal with Vladimir Putin. It was a deal on weapons. In the end, at the end of the visit kim jung moon kind of says, what vladimir Putin wants to hear that he's ready for a strategic and tactical agreement, a strategic tactical cooperation between the two countries comfortable did a hunk asia. Now we're still learning the details of all bad But what we know is that this meeting is gonna, have big implications

for the war in ukraine and reverberations far beyond that around the world. So what is Russia actually want from north korea? I mean, of course, north korea. Is this lonely to tell a tarion state obsessed with it's own military, but I don't think of it as the global superpower military that russia is so what does it have to offer russia yeah you're right that north korea isn't the most sophisticated with it's military technology, but what russia wants? Isn't the cutting edge technology? What

Russia wants, is something far simpler. It needs artillery shells artillery has become so important in the ukraine war. It's really hard to oversell how important it is. These are the big guns right. These are the long guns that fire kind of large shells down range of battlefield- and you know almost any war movie- has the sort of big guns firing at opposing infantry right. It's a staple of how we conceive of big wars

Right are really talking about the lowly, humble shell, like the thing that their feeding into these big guns, the most basic element of war. But right, it's a giant bullet right. It's not a hyper sonic missile. It's not a sophisticated drone, it's a giant bullet that has an explosive in it and a fuse and its fire downrange, and almost every major battle in ukraine has involved artillery and, as a result, both sides are fine millions upon millions of our time, if shells and they're starting to run out. We, of course, have talked on the show about ukraine's efforts to get military support going around the world and asking for military equipment and supplies like ammunition. But you know russia is

your military manufacturer, I dont think of russia, is running out of something as simple as ammunition. Well, russia. They could make two million shells a year. There firing more than ten million shells a year and that's it huge deficit. While there is a huge deficit, okay, so what's the plan? Well, one plan is that russia has huge stocks of artillery shells if they ve been making for years and years, and having had to fire and their stored in warehouses and that's where they ve been tapping. Their supplies can buy Russia is not that great, add storing their weapons, look the it turns out. Ammunition needs to be maintained, you turn it around. You inspected, you make sure it's still good. Russia has a tendency of just.

And there are totally in a warehouse and bureau forgetting it, so they could get steel kinda like what happens, is diffuses deteriorate over time right and so the older artillery shell is less deadly for the ukrainian troops. Ok, so basically, russia has the goods, but their old and kind of past or sell by date. Basically, so what our russia's other options to get shells and to keep this stuff how going well they had to turn to the world market from very early on during the war, russia started to go to other countries looking for military supplies, but there is a real problem with that It is looking for every conceivable lifeline right now, right,

the start of the war, the? U s and Europe had agreed to sanctions and export controls to halt the russian military production, so they can't just go to any country and by military equipment or even by the parts from military equipment. They need to go to countries that are aligned with their interests that are friendly to them or us official says. Russia has asked china for support, including military aid and equipment. The most Gordon of that, would be china china has the missiles or artillery shells the drones that right, would need president Biden warning china of serious consequences if China, where to get involved directly in ukraine, but china wasn't willing to sell that to russia. They did not

a risk, the higher up the rest of the world and possibly be cut off from international trade right has a lot to lose it. That department tried has a lot to lose, so Russia had to turn to others putin mad with iran's president and supreme leader ayatollah Khomeini, and they went to a wrong in russia started. Buying drones from around the state department says: iranian drones were used in strikes across the country, including capital of cave, but it didn't solve the most urgent problem, which was a shortage of artillery shells, and so russia then turns to north korea, but why north korea? Well, the korean peninsula, is the world's repository of artillery shells. Remember

north korea and south korea, or still technically at war. There has been an uneasy armistice for seventy plus years here, but, as a result, both north korea and south korea have a huge stockpiles of well maintained. Artillery shells. The south korean artillery shells fit the big guns that, u S, a nato use. The north korean artillery shells fit the big guns that russia uses. So if your russia and you're wondering where can I get, more artillery shells. North korea is the obvious answer, but the problem is russia and north korea aren't particularly close

So doing reminders what that relationship has been over the past few decades. Well, it's hard to find a country more isolated on the planet. Then north korea, I mean there has been some relations between russia and north korea, but it's been pretty uneasy. You'll, remember that in the ninety nine ease in two thousand Moscow went along with the- u n sanctions on north korea to try to stop north korea from developing its nuclear programme, and so it's not like north korea looks at moscow and thinks that their their great defender it right below Moscow has been part of the international community. That's been trying to constrain their quest for Atomic. So despite their shared passed with communism, these countries really haven't been allies. Much at all in recent history. That's right.

it's really the war in ukraine that shifted things because all of a sudden russia needed something from north korea, and so a courtship of north korea began Angeline. What does that courtship look like well? A year ago, russia starts asking north Korea four artillery and rockets, but the? U s learns about this and the? U s declassified that information and pushes it out the? U s is trying to stop

deal by shining a light on it and it did seem to work at least for a time. The coroner. U S, intelligence, the shipments of artillery shells dont go, don't go in any sort of significant numbers in any case, but russia keep pushing here. Russia really needs there artillery shells so this past July russia sends its defence minister, Sergei show you to visit north korea, and it was the first time since soviet times that are russian defence minister had visited north korea, and so he goes to join kim jong moon. north korea calls a victory day ring this is the annual no

terry parade that marks the armistice between south korea and north korea victory date Awkward, and it was a big splay. There was a die ass, you see, Kim jong moon, flanked by should go on one side and a chinese politburo member on the other, and they were saluting these intercontinental missiles that are and by the? U s face was a big display of friendship between north korea and china, but, most importantly, north korea. In russia,

and behind the scenes what's happening at this event? Is a negotiation between Kim and show you a negotiation about the next meeting Kim one? Vladimir Putin, to come to north korea. Mr short GU says that's not gonna happen, but he makes a counter offer. He offers to have kim, come and meet putin in russia, so that is what led to the meeting this week. That's right it was those negotiations that set the scene for this meeting will be right back support for this past and the following message come from emerson and emerson engineers, designers and fingers help the world's most essential industries solve the biggest chow

of modern life from developing technology that delivers breakthrough medicines at warp speed to software that prince clean energy into reliable electricity emerson. Innovation helps make the world healthier, safer, smarter and more sustainable. Go boldly, find your future at emerson, dot, com, slash, years, I'm lydia pull dream. I'm shell coddled, I'm rostov it, I'm powerless lozada and we are all writers for the new york times, opinion section and we're here to announce that we are launching a new pod cast its called matter of opinion. Each week will pick a topic from the news for politics and culture from our own work. We'll go in depth, we'll talk it through with each other to bathing, but also trying to just make sense of what is let's face it pretty weird and fascinating time to be alive. List to matter of opinion thinking aloud I'd start thought is allowed thoughts. God, ok, thoughts amount

matter of opinion every thursday list wherever you get your podcasts. Julian, do we have any details on exactly what putin and kim Jong moon are discussing in russia this week, like? What are the specifics of a potential deal? Well, american officials. Tell us a few days until we learn a lot of details about what is agreed between the two leaders but the contours. The talks we do understand. As we discussed russia wants the artillery. They have some need for missiles what north korea wants is one thing that they always ass war, which is food aid, food aid, because north korea has

a really really terrible economy and sometimes doesn't have the food to feed its people. Write. The north korean economy is so isolated that its people are malnourished and it does not have enough food so asking for food aid is always critical, but in this case there's something even important that north korea wants something that I would describe as russia's crown jewels. Ok crown jewels, I'm assuming this has to do with the thing that russia is very good at which use nuclear weapons. Yes, now, north korea, as far as we understand, is not directly asking for nuclear technology, but what they want is ballistic missile technology and nuclear powered submarine technology. All of these are platforms in which nuclear weapon

can be placed an which make them harder to detect and harder to stop. Is the assumption, then, that north korea already has the technology to build nuclear weapons, but what they actually need are the delivery devices yeah I mean remember: north korea has several dozen nuclear weapons right, but they ve been struggling with two things: they ve been struggling with: miniaturized thee, devices and the delivery device making a missile that reliable enough to reach any point they wanna hit annually. What's the idea of miniature rising well

think of the movie oppenheimer right where the united states is building the original atomic bomb right. That thing was massive right, huge huge they. They had a push it out the back of an airplane right. Well, modern nuclear weapons are put on top of missiles that are launched from submarines or ground based launchers. But to do that, you need a much smaller bar right. And if you could only shrink it down so much. You need a much more reliable and powerful missile to take it where it needs to go got it. Officials have told us that nuclear technology is not on the table. That is not being discussed. Russia has no intention of giving north korea,

The plans to make a nuclear bomb or miniaturized their nuclear bomb. But what is on the table is this missile technology and that's very important. The north korean track record on this a launch, as is mixed, some of their missiles misfire, some of their missiles do not reach their targets. Russian missiles are reliable and if Moscow can teach them how to make a better missile, that is something north korea wants

I there are risks here for russia right, I mean they share a border with north korea like this would leave them with a fairly unstable nuclear neighbour. Historically, russia has an wanted unstable countries to have nuclear weapons. I mean they were part of the international effort to stop IRAN's nuclear programme. They participated in sanctions against north korea, both countries in its back yard, effectively. Yes and north korea's proliferate, or they could turn around and sell this to another country, and this is not something that russia wants. North korea selling of everyone's gonna sell it. Russia wants to sell it right It would be a real show of desperation. If Russia actually went for this, the more technology russia gives north korea the more desperate they are. In some ways, this meeting is a measure of what russia

where they are in the war in ukraine. How much are they willing to give to north korea how much they need these artillery shells and putin did say something this week that suggested the crown jewels were on the table while waiting for came at the cargo drone, he was asked about this arms agreement, and will Moscow help north korea with satellites in rocket technology and prudent responds that's why we can here and we're not gonna know for some days what the agreement is- and we may not know for some months whether the agreement is consummated and how much technology russia does send. But these early indicator and are that a deal is on the table and both sides want to reach an agreement. Sir Julian, can we pause for a moment on the potential

exactly that happening like what you're describing as a scenario here where if this deal were to happen, north korean rockets, which usually just as we said flame out somewhere off coast, could suddenly reach new york city. That would be incredibly destabilizing. We would have a situation where, once again, a crisis with north korea takes central stage, and this is not something the binding administration wants right now right. The bind administration is focused on helping ukraine in its war against russia. Biden administration is focused on building allies against the

more militaristic, china in the pacific? They don't want to be focused on north korea and its nuclear programme, but a technology shift from russia to north korea. Moves out from the back burner front right. This would really bring to the fore north korea as global chaos, agent and force the united states to have to deal with that fact. That's right! This could put north korea in a stronger position. North korea has been crippled by sanctions for decades without much leverage and what it wants is to come back to the table in a better position in a better position to normalize diplomatic relations.

To normalize its economy and to keep its nuclear weapons, and so if these negotiations with russia make north korea's nuclear programme stronger, more viable more of a threat, then this deal doesn't just have implications for the war in ukraine. It could really change north korea's standing on the world stage, which would be a real change in how the rest of the world thinks of north korea. Right has dealt with north korea mean it had been ostracised not even close to the table here they would be at the table. And look this deal could really deepen the fault lines that already exist across the pacific. We have stronger relations between south korea and japan.

that's partially about arising, china, but that's also about north korea threat, and so this shows you that the european theatre in the pacific theatre are entered. Wide and it really makes the whole situation far. More from this meeting. is in a way a kind of window onto the profound re order of relations throughout the world, really that the ukraine war has wrought it is amazing how starkly The war in ukraine has made this line across the world. Has China and russia closer together, but has also pushed america and its allies closer together, and that can be quite dangerous

If we have a world where we have russia, china, north korea, iran on one side- and we have now Eight, japan, south korea, on the other, that's a different world, then the one that we ve known for the last few decades and it can make some things more complicated, and this is something my colleagues and I have been grappling with four months- what has this war in ukraine? What as the new alliances in asia wrong. Is this a new cold war and to me it's increasingly looking like that is what we have and so

story began with something simple, like a building block of war. This story began with a humble artillery shall, but it ends with something that looks much bigger julian. Thank you. Thank you we'll be right back. Imagine if passed tech choices didn't hold you back if Single, I t vendor told you know if you knew that the harness complexity not be overcome by it. What would you do if you could see, what's possible at red, hot dot com, slash options, redheads, objective experts, flexible technique? jeez and dedicated partners provide the options.

need today to go wherever tomorrow leaves no matter the clock, environment up or vendor visit red haddock slash options to keep your options open. Here's what else you should know today. I think some of the people that are coming along next want to have a say in how we we leave the earth and how they prepare for the future. They're going to live, on Wednesday. Republicans senator mitt romney of new talks, whose motto positions and vocal opposition to Donald trump left him increasingly out of step with his party space said he would not seek reelection into at twenty four. You know I I considered my age and the fact that at the end of the second term, I would be in my eighties- and I think it's time for guys like me to go the way and have people the next generation stuff both speaking to orders about his decision raw meat, the report

can presidential nominee twenty twelve appeared to incur the two leading candidates in the next presidential race to fall Obviously I beg you to be a great thing to both president Biden and former president tromp, where to stand aside and let their respective party someone in the next generation. President Biden when he was running said he was a transitional figure. The next generation well timed to transition and the leader of the united autoworkers said that his members were prepared for a strike against the three detroit automakers sean faint president. If you a double said, the initial strike would be limited to a small number of factories, but that it will expand if the talks remain bogged down. Past september fourteenth deadline. Faint, the strikes locations would be communicated to members on thursday night ahead of a friday walk out. Finally, in libya authority

say: the death toll in the catastrophic floods currently topping five thousand could reach as high as twenty thousand people as rescue efforts, continued to dams have, ready collapsed and local officials now say that a third damn located closer to the capital, Benghazi, is now on the of collapse. Today's episode was produced by rob zip code, shannon late summer to my mary, Wilson and jessica chop, It was edited by Angela Davis Lynn, with help Michael, been one fact checked by Nicole basilica, contains original music I will read Mary unless I know and rowing we must stop and was engineered by Alyssa moxley are. music is by Jim Grunberg and then lands for wonderly

That's it I'm sabena, taverns cinema, The.