A recent report by The Wall Street Journal highlights the emergence of a new geopolitical axis comprising China, Russia, Iran, and the DPRK (North Korea)—dubbed CRINK by some Western officials. Forged in the wake of the war in Ukraine, this informal alliance, according to the report, is bound by a common goal: challenging the US-led global order.

As their military, economic, and strategic ties deepen, CRINK is reshaping the global balance of power, presenting a growing challenge to Washington and its allies.

The four nations have steadily strengthened their ties, exchanging food, oil, arms, and military support while seeking to evade Western sanctions. Now, with US President Donald Trump committed to negotiating an end to the conflict, the coalition faces a crucial test.

A ceasefire brokered by Trump could weaken the bonds holding CRINK together, it mentions; however, failure to do so—combined with increased US pressure on Iran and China—could inadvertently solidify what Atlantic Council fellow John Park describes as a “common market of autocracies.”

Cooperation between these states is not new, the report says, as Russia and Iran previously aligned in support of the al-Assad government in Syria, while China has long been DPRK’s main economic backer. Meanwhile, Beijing and Moscow have been deepening their strategic partnership for years. However, the war in Ukraine has significantly reinforced these connections, with the four nations “promoting alternative systems to compete with the United States, primarily in trade, finance, and security,” according to US intelligence assessments.

According to the report, Russia has become the central hub of the alliance, allegedly relying on Chinese firms for critical military components, while the DPRK, accustomed to operating under sanctions, has allegedly supplied Moscow with large quantities of ammunition and deployed troops. Ukrainian officials claim that half of Russia’s munitions now come from Pyongyang, contributing to Moscow’s military gains, including expelling Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. Recently, DPRK has engaged more with Russia diplomatically than with China.

Calling Iran’s contribution "instrumental", the report claimed that Tehran has provided Moscow with Shahed drones, along with the technical expertise and blueprints needed to expand Russia’s domestic drone production—an invaluable asset in a conflict where unmanned aerial vehicles play a decisive role.

Economic ties within the bloc, as per the piece, have grown alongside military cooperation. Isolated from Western markets, Russia has redirected much of its energy exports to China. Beijing, which does not support Western sanctions against Moscow, has increased exports of consumer goods to Russia, replacing products once sourced from the West. The two nations have also moved away from using the US dollar in trade, instead opting for their own currencies to reduce their vulnerability to sanctions.

CRINK vs. US

Should Moscow retreat from ceasefire negotiations, Trump has signaled his intent to escalate economic pressure through additional sanctions and tariffs on Russia. Meanwhile, Washington has revived its hardline stance on Tehran, warning of potential military action if Iran advances what the US perceives as its nuclear ambitions. US-China tensions also remain high, with Trump imposing new tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of Chinese imports.

Unchecked, the growing alignment between Russia, DPRK, and Iran poses an increasing threat to Western security, warned Chivvis, a former intelligence officer now serving as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He further cautioned that deeper cooperation among these nations could solidify a strategic bloc that challenges US influence on multiple fronts.

“What we want to avoid is the deepening scenario, where they do actually build on the cooperation that we have seen over the last couple of years,” he concluded.