The Ukraine war entered its fifth year as of 2026, with the conflict remaining deadlocked. Negotiations to end the war have also made little progress due to persistent differences over key issues, including territory, security guarantees for Ukraine, and the easing of sanctions against Russia. The prolonged war is closely linked to the restructuring of the international order. Russia views the conflict as part of the end of the U.S.-centered unipolar order and the emergence of a multipolar order, and it has been expanding cooperation with China, North Korea, Iran, and countries in the Global South.

Russia’s external cooperation structure has been reorganized around sanctions evasion, military cooperation, and solidarity among non-Western states. In particular, the strategic importance of cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea has grown. North Korea-Russia relations, hereafter referred to as DPRK-Russia relations, have expanded in the military, economic, and diplomatic spheres based on the “Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.” North Korea provides military supplies and troop support, while Russia offers economic assistance and diplomatic backing, forming a mutually complementary relationship. Recently, cooperation has further expanded into transportation, tourism, culture, and education, developing into what is effectively a strategic alliance. Meanwhile, within Russia, the perception that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is an unrealistic goal has been spreading. Although Russia remains cautious about transferring nuclear warhead manufacturing technology to North Korea, cooperation between North Korea and Russia in conventional and strategic technologies—including missiles, space, satellites, air defense systems, submarines, electronic warfare, and drones—is more likely to expand than in the past.

South Korea should pursue a dual strategy of management and preparedness: maintaining strategic communication channels with Russia while monitoring the trajectory of negotiations to end the war, and at the same time responding in principle to DPRK-Russia military cooperation and related security threats. In addition, South Korea needs to preserve the foundations for cooperation in areas such as energy, the Arctic, the Russian Far East, and logistics, while preparing for the possibility of restoring South Korea-Russia relations in the future. In doing so, Seoul should pursue a pragmatic Russia policy that maintains both international principles and strategic balance.

This article is an English Summary of Asan Issue Brief (2026-17).

(Read More in Korean : ‘러시아-우크라이나 전황과 북러 관계 진행 현황’)