Putin does not rule out arms to NKorea, US ‘incredibly’ concerned
The warning from the Russian President came as as the South Korean military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border.
Vladimir Putin has said he does not rule out Russia sending arms to isolated North Korea in what Washington called an “incredibly concerning” statement that threatens instability on the divided Korean peninsula.
On a trip to Vietnam following a state visit to Pyongyang where Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defence pact, Putin also warned South Korea not to arm Ukraine.
The Russian President’s warning came as the South Korean military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border in the third such incursion this month.
The nuclear-armed North has been reinforcing the border in recent months, adding tactical roads and laying more landmines, which has led to “casualties” among its troops due to accidental explosions, South Korea has said.
On Thursday morning, “several North Korean soldiers who were working inside the DMZ on the central front line crossed the Military Demarcation Line”, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday. “After our military’s warning broadcasts and warning shots, the North Korean soldiers retreated back northward.”
Similar incidents took place on June 9 and Tuesday this week, with Seoul’s military saying both incursions appeared to be accidental.
Putin said prospects of Moscow providing weapons to North Korea were repercussions for the West arming Kyiv, which is battling against a Russian invasion now in its third year.
“Those who send these (missiles to Ukraine) think that they are not fighting us, but I said, including in Pyongyang, that we then reserve the right to supply weapons to other regions of the world, with regard to our agreements with the DPRK,” Putin said, using the acronym of North Korea’s official name. “I do not rule this one out.”
South Korea on Thursday called Russia’s treaty with the North a “grave concern”, with a senior official saying Seoul would “reconsider” its policy of not sending arms directly to Ukraine. Putin brushed off the response, saying “South Korea has nothing to worry about”. But he warned Seoul not to supply weapons to Kyiv, saying: “This would be a very big mistake.”
The US expressed deep unease over Putin’s threat to send weapons to Pyongyang, warning such action could destabilise the Korean peninsula.
“It is incredibly concerning,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. “It would destabilise the Korean peninsula, potentially, depending on the type of weapons, and might violate UN Security Council resolutions that Russia itself has supported.”
Russia and Vietnam, a close Moscow ally since the Cold War, pledged to deepen ties during Putin’s state visit. The Russian leader did not receive as clear a declaration of support in Hanoi as he did in Pyongyang, where he got a rapturous reception. But Vietnamese President To Lam indicated a desire to boost defence co-operation.
Russia has been Vietnam’s main arms supplier for decades, but orders have dropped off in recent years as international sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict have intensified.
The two sides said in a joint statement that their defence and security co-operation was “not directed against any third country” and contributed to “peace, stability and sustainable development” in the region.
Putin said the talks were constructive and that both sides had “identical or very close” positions on key international issues. He later held talks with Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the ruling communist party.
Making his first visit to isolated North Korea in 24 years on Wednesday, Putin signed a strategic treaty with leader Kim Jong-un that included a commitment to come to each other’s aid if attacked.
Washington and its allies accuse North Korea of supplying ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war, and the new treaty has fuelled fears of more deliveries.
AFP
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