Vladimir Putin has warned South Korea it would make “a big mistake” if it arms Ukraine in its war against Russia.
His comments came after Seoul said it was considering the possibility in response to a new deal between Russia and North Korea. Help each other when any country is “invaded”.
Moscow “will… [make] Putin told reporters on Thursday that “the decision of South Korea’s current leadership is unlikely to please” if Seoul decides to supply weapons to Kiev.
The Russian leader spoke in Vietnam shortly after making a lavish visit to Pyongyang and signing a mutual defense agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Seoul earlier denounced the deal as a threat to its national security, with national security adviser Jang Ho-jin saying South Korea planned to “reconsider the issue of providing arms support to Ukraine.”
After Putin’s remarks, South Korea’s Blue House said on Friday it would consider “various options” for supplying weapons to Ukraine and that its stance would “depend on how Russia handles this issue.”
Authorities are also expected to summon the Russian ambassador to South Korea to protest, Yonhap news agency reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.
While South Korea has provided humanitarian aid and military equipment to Ukraine, it has so far refused to provide lethal weapons because it has an official policy of not being a state armed for war.
Some in Ukraine have been hoping that deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang will prompt Seoul to rethink its approach. Analysts said earlier that Kiev would use Putin’s visit to Pyongyang to increase pressure.
During the visit, Kim Jong-un also pledged “full support” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There is growing evidence that Russia has deployed North Korean missiles to Ukraine.
Earlier on Friday, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby weighed in on the Russia-North Korea deal, saying it should “be of concern to any country concerned about maintaining peace and stability in the region.”
He added that the agreement was “not a surprise” and said the United States had been warning the two countries of their “burgeoning defense relationship” for months.
Tokyo expressed “grave concern that President Putin has not ruled out military-technical cooperation with North Korea,” Japanese government spokesman Hayashi Yoshimasa said, adding that the agreement was “unacceptable.”
Analysts say the treaty could have significant consequences for the world and the region. In addition to the possibility of North Korea openly arming Russia, Russia may also intervene in any new conflict on the Korean peninsula.
North and South Korea are still technically at war and maintain a heavily fortified border, with tensions worsening in recent weeks.
In a separate incident on Thursday, North Korean troops “briefly crossed” the border and retreated after South Korea fired warning shots, authorities in Seoul said on Friday.
This is the third such incident in less than three weeks. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff have stated that the two previous cases occurred on June 9 and June 18 respectively. seems unintentional.
Additional reporting by Jean McKenzie.
