South Korea’s nuclear deal
The United States has agreed to give South Korea a central role in the strategic planning for the use of nuclear weapons in any conflict with North Korea. In return, South Korea agreed to not pursue its own nuclear arsenal.
The deal, announced during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Washington, is meant to assure South Korea that the U.S. will use its nuclear arsenal, if needed, to dissuade or respond to a nuclear attack from the North — even if that risks a strike on an American city. The concept is called “extended deterrence.”
The accord is an admission that disarming North Korea is no longer plausible. In the past four years, the North’s arsenal has grown so fast that U.S. and South Korean officials have stopped trying to keep a precise count.
Xi speaks with Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, had long requested a conversation with China’s leader, Xi Jinping. Yesterday, the two spoke by phone — their first known contact…
2023-04-26 15:56:28
Original from www.nytimes.com