Russia could mirror Western actions, arm North Korea: Putin

In a clear warning to the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday indicated his nation could supply long-range precision weapons to North Kora and other countries, on the same pattern that the US and other countries are arming Ukraine.

”We do not rule out supplying weapons to other countries, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Let the West think where they might end up," the Russian President, who is in Vietnam on the second leg of his Asian tour after visiting North Korea, told media persons after meetings with the Vietnamese leadership, RT reported.

He was responding to this previous statement on sending missiles to adversaries of the West, in response to the US and its allies allowing Ukraine to use their supplied weapons to strike deep inside Russia.

Noting that the Western countries that have supplied long-range and other weapons to Ukraine have said they can’t be held responsible for how Kiev uses them, and insist that it does not make them parties to the conflict, Putin said that Russia, therefore, reserves the same right for itself.

He also said that Moscow is considering modifications to its doctrine on the use of atomic weapons, as the West appears to be working on low-yield weapons to lower the nuclear threshold.

Asked about the peace terms he offered Ukraine last week, Putin said that Russia has always been willing to negotiate, while Kiev and its Western backers sabotaged both the Minsk process and the Istanbul talks. The Russian President, who had cited conditions for peace talks, including Ukraine removing its troops from Donbass and two other regions, and assuring it would not join NATO, underlined that the terms he outlined will not be valid forever.

"Our terms will change depending on the situation on the ground," he said.

Putin arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday evening from Pyongyang, where he signed a strategic partnership treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His trip to Vietnam is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties with Hanoi, including trade and nuclear energy cooperation.