James Myers of OAN
Friday, June 21, 2024 8:37 AM
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that it would be a “very big mistake” for South Korea to supply weapons to Ukraine in a war with Russia.
advertisement
Putin’s comments came after South Korea claimed it was considering sending weapons to Ukraine in response to a new pact between Russia and North Korea to defend each other in the event of “aggression” against either country.
“If that happens, we will also take appropriate decisions that the current leadership in South Korea will definitely not like,” Putin said on Thursday during an official visit to Vietnam, shortly after a lavish visit to Pyongyang. “We reserve the right to supply weapons to other parts of the world,” he added.
Putin also warned that Russia was ready to supply weapons to North Korea if the United States and its allies continued to supply weapons to Ukraine.
“I believe that the countries supplying these weapons are not at war with us. I have said that we reserve the right to supply weapons to other parts of the world, including Pyongyang,” Putin said.
Additionally, Seoul discussed Russian ambassador Georgi Zinoviev on Friday, and South Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for “Russia to immediately halt military cooperation with North Korea.”
South Korea also argued that backing Putin threatens the country’s security and violates UN Security Council resolutions. “South Korea will respond resolutely to threats to South Korea’s national security,” the statement said.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry said “attempts at blackmail and extortion against Russia are unacceptable” and that the agreement was a bilateral pact and did not target third countries.
South Korea, meanwhile, has provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid and military equipment but has so far refused to provide lethal weapons; South Korea has an official policy of not supplying arms to countries at war.
“This should be of concern to all nations with an interest in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
During both visits, the North Korean leader also pledged to “fully support” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite mounting evidence that Russia has already deployed North Korean missiles there.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi also said Japan had “serious concerns that President Putin did not rule out the possibility of military-technical cooperation with North Korea,” adding that the agreement was “unacceptable.”
North and South Korea are still technically at war and maintain a heavily guarded border, further increasing tensions.
Stay up to date! Receive the latest news directly in your email for free. Sign up here: https://www.oann.com/alerts
Please share this post!
