In an attempt to try to revive the Korean denuclearization deal, Russia reportedly offered a secret proposal to give North Korea a nuclear power plant, a potential boon for a country with constant energy shortages.



The deal would have the plant operated entirely by the Russian government, with all byproducts and waste shipped back to Russia to prevent any proliferation concerns. North Korea would effectively get free energy.



This was conditional on North Korea dismantling its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs, which under deals with the US they were expected to do anyhow. US officials preseted the move as “opportunistic,” as Russia tried to get involved in the situation.



It’s unclear from all of this where the Russian offer stands in the lead-up to the next Trump-Kim summit. Russia is asking for North Korea to have a timeline for dismantling those programs as part of the plant deal.

Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz