The United States expressed significant concern on Thursday (Jun 20) over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about potentially supplying weapons to North Korea following the signing of a defense pact with Pyongyang.
Putin indicated on Thursday that Russia might arm North Korea, suggesting it would be a reciprocal action to the Western supply of arms to Ukraine. The defense agreement entails that both nations will offer immediate military support if either is attacked.
When questioned about Putin’s comments, Miller stated in a news briefing that “it is incredibly concerning.” He further explained, “It would destabilize the Korean Peninsula, of course, and potentially… depending on the type of weapons they provide, might violate U.N. Security Council resolutions that Russia itself has supported.”
During his visit to Vietnam, Putin cautioned South Korea that providing weapons to Ukraine would be a “big mistake.” His warning followed a Yonhap news report indicating that South Korea would consider supplying arms to Ukraine.
The defense pact has particularly alarmed the West, with White House national security spokesperson John Kirby labeling it a cause for concern. Kirby suggested the pact reflects Russia’s desperation.
“We’ve been talking about this and warning about a burgeoning defense relationship between these two countries now for many months through a series of downgraded intelligence that we’ve put out there,” he said. “Obviously it’s something we’ve taken seriously,” he added.
South Korea summons Russian ambassador
In response, South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul on Friday regarding the defense deal. Seoul “strongly urged Russia to immediately stop military cooperation with North Korea and comply with (UN) Security Council resolutions,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The summoning of Russia’s Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev occurred two days after Putin and Kim signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” agreement, which includes a pledge to assist each other if attacked.