Putin to South Koreans: Beware Of Reciprocating Russian Weapons Aid to Ukraine

Putin warns South Korea against arming Ukraine, threatening consequences. This follows a mutual defense pact between Russia and North Korea. South Korea considers its options while facing pressure from both sides in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticizes South Korea for considering arms supply to Ukraine mentioning it would be contentious decision not likely to suit the present leaders of South Korea.

It follows that South Korea has been warming up plans to provide Ukraine with weapons—a plan initiated by Russia and North Korea following the agreement of defense cooperation. This treaty was inked when Putin made a state visit to Pyongyang, promises ‘support’ wherein the two countries are subjects of an ‘act of aggression’.

When interviewed with reporters in Vietnam regarding his visit in North Korea, Putin also said that he is willing to equip North Korea if the Western allies maintain supporting Ukraine with weapons. I understood this as meaning that they have not disclaimed the possibility of supplying weapons to other areas in the world he said.

On Friday, South Korea’s presidential office said it would discuss “several possibilities“ of arms support to Ukraine, based on measures it considers adequate on Russia’s part. Seoul Ra ordered Russian ambassador to protest against the agreement between Russia and North Korea to end with military cooperation with Pyongyang.

Although South Korea has donated humanitarian aid, and nonlethal firearms to Ukraine, the country has not supplied lethal weapons because South Korea does not sell arms to nations in two sides of a war. However, increasing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea may force it to rethink about its approach.

The NSC of the United States raised concerns over the Russia-North Korea agreement asserting that ‘any country that is interested in the preservation of peace in such a region or the interest of such a region’ ought to be worried. Japan also remain highly apprehensive on the aspect of Russian–North Korean rapprochement and military technology transfer.

Experts argue that the treaty could prove imminent on an international scale which implies North Korea to openly supplying Russia with weaponry as well as Russian interference in any future sufferages on the Korean peninsula.

This comes as tensions continues to build up on the Korean peninsula with North Korean troops reportedly to have, crossed to the South side of the border Thursday, thus making it the third time in under three weeks.

Also Read: Putin to Visit North Korea, Praises Kim Jong Un on Support for Ukraine Invasion

Thus, as the situation progresses, the global spectators hope for changes in the tendencies of this region’s actors’ relations to the rest of the world.