US “incredibly” worried about Putin’s threat to send weapons to North Korea

The US has expressed deep concern about Russian President Putin’s threat to supply weapons to North Korea.

Washington:

The United States on Thursday expressed deep concern about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to supply weapons to North Korea, warning that such a move would “destabilize” the Korean peninsula.

Putin, during a rare visit to Pyongyang, signed a mutual defense pact on Wednesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who pledged his country’s “full support” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking on Thursday in Vietnam, Putin said Moscow would not rule out sending weapons to Pyongyang, calling it repercussions for the West supplying Ukraine.

The threat “is incredibly concerning,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“This would potentially destabilize the Korean peninsula, depending on the type of weapons, and could violate UN Security Council resolutions that Russia itself has supported,” Miller said.

Washington and its allies have already accused North Korea of ​​supplying Russia with missiles and artillery that it used to attack Ukraine.

Putin warned Seoul on Thursday not to supply weapons to Ukraine, after South Korea said it was reconsidering its current ban.

Seoul has a long-standing policy prohibiting it from selling weapons in active conflict zones, which it has stuck to despite calls from Washington and Kiev to reconsider.

Miller said such a decision “is up to each country to make in terms of supplying weapons to Ukraine.”

“We welcome any support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression,” he added.

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