President Putin speaks out about mutual defense treaty with North Korea

(Dan Tri) - President Vladimir Putin affirmed that the treaty Russia signed with North Korea is similar to that of other countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Reuters).

At a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, a research group in Moscow, on November 7, President Putin said that the recently signed treaty between Russia and North Korea was nothing new, but that the two countries had returned to a similar document from the Soviet era.

"The treaty we signed with North Korea is a treaty that we signed with other countries. It was in the Soviet era, then of course it ceased to exist, and we actually returned to it. That's it. There's nothing new," Putin said.

Mr. Putin also mentioned the possibility of Russia and North Korea holding joint military exercises.

"Why not? Let's wait and see," Putin said, citing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a trip to Pyongyang in June.

The treaty outlines the comprehensive strategic cooperation that the two countries intend to maintain, including national security issues. It states that neither side will conclude treaties with third parties that infringe on the sovereignty of the other.

Furthermore, in the event of an attack on one of the two countries, the other country pledges to provide assistance, including military means, as permitted by the United Nations Charter.

"This is truly a groundbreaking document," President Putin said at a news conference in the capital Pyongyang.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the treaty would take relations between Russia and North Korea to a new level and contribute to "creating a fair multipolar international system."

Moscow is seeking to “contain growing threats in the region from the West, which is pursuing the creation of closed military-political alliances in the Asia-Pacific,” he added.

In an interview in October, President Putin said Russia and North Korea would decide for themselves whether and how to apply the military assistance clause of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty.

The pact was announced as North Korea is believed to have sent thousands of troops to Russia to deploy in the conflict in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed that North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia and that the first clashes between the two countries' military forces took place in Russia's Kursk province, where Kiev launched a raid in early August.

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations denied that North Korean troops were on the front line, accusing the US and its allies of spreading "disinformation".

For its part, North Korea declared that in case it sends troops to Russia, this will be an act in compliance with international law.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/tong-thong-putin-len-tieng-ve-hiep-uoc-phong-thu-chung-voi-trieu-tien-20241108073816961.htm