North Korea, already notorious for its belligerence and nuclear ambitions, stands to become further emboldened.
In what he suggested would be a mirror response to the Western arming of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia might supply weapons to North Korea.
His comments come after South Korea disclosed that it will consider supplying arms to Ukraine after Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defence deal.
In his latest comments, Putin said that North Korea could be one such recipient of Russian arms.
“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 [North Korea]. I do not rule this out.”
Vladimir Putin
Putin said that Moscow expected that its cooperation with North Korea would serve as a deterrent to the West.
He added that there was no need to use North Korean soldiers for the war in Ukraine.
Additionally, Putin stated that South Korea would be making “a big mistake” if it decided to supply arms to Ukraine.
“In connections to sending lethal weapons to combat zones in Ukraine, this would be a very big mistake. I hope this will not happen,” Putin said.
He added, “If it will, then we will take the according decision that the current South Korean leadership will probably not like.”
Putin’s rhetoric implies a disturbing willingness to leverage North Korea as a pawn in his broader confrontation with the West.
By suggesting that Russian arms shipments to Pyongyang are a response to Western military aid to Ukraine, Putin not only disregards international norms but also risks further isolating Russia on the global stage.
Furthermore, the implications for North Korea itself are concerning.
While the regime in Pyongyang might welcome enhanced military capabilities, the long-term ramifications for its population and economic development could be catastrophic.
Increased militarization diverts resources away from much-needed social programs and reinforces a cycle of isolation and dependency on external powers.
Meanwhile, a senior US official said that Putin’s suggestion that Russian could supply weapons to North Korea is “incredibly concerning.”
Matthew Miller, a US State department Spokesperson, said the provision of Russian weapons to Pyongyang “would destabilise the Korean peninsula, of course, and potentially … depending on the type of weapons they provide … violate UN security council resolutions that Russia itself has supported.”
Russia Considering Changes To Its Nuclear Weapons Doctrine
In his remarks to reporters in Hanoi, Putin also expanded on comments he made earlier this month about nuclear weapons, saying Moscow was thinking about possible changes to its doctrine on their use.
Putin said this was being driven by changing views on nuclear use among Russia’s adversaries.
Russia’s existing doctrine states that it may use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or in the event of a conventional attack that poses an existential threat to the state.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, some hawks among Russian military analysts have been advocating that Moscow should consider revising that stance and even delivering some kind of nuclear strike that might “sober up” its adversaries in the West.
Putin told reporters that Russia was thinking about changing its doctrine because its potential enemies were working on “new elements” related to lowering the threshold for nuclear use.
“In particular, explosive nuclear devices of extremely low power are being developed. And we know that there are ideas floating around in expert circles in the West that such means of destruction could be used,” he said.
Putin said that there was “nothing particularly terrible” about this, but Russia needed to pay attention to it.
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