US concerns over Russian weapons in North Korea

The United States has expressed concern after Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the possibility of sending weapons to North Korea. In that case, the country also fears that the stability of the entire region, including the Korean peninsula, may be endangered.

President Putin has visited North Korea and Vietnam to show his acceptance on the international stage in the face of pressure from the West over the war in Ukraine. He signed a defense deal on Wednesday to help North Korea, in the same model as the Western world collectively providing all kinds of aid to Ukraine.

Under this, if one country is affected, another country will come forward to help it. In Vietnam on Thursday, he went a step further, saying Russia could supply weapons to North Korea. He also made a veiled threat that it would be a huge 'mistake' if South Korea supplies weapons to Ukraine in particular.

The U.S. administration expressed deep concern as Putin spoke of such a possibility. Matthews Miller, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that taking such a step would endanger the stability of the entire Korean peninsula. Even supplying North Korea with special weapons would violate UN Security Council resolutions.

Miller recalled that Russia, as a permanent member, also supported the proposal. It should be noted that Moscow recently vetoed the Security Council's proposal to extend the deadline for monitoring sanctions against North Korea.

On the other hand, John Kirby, the White House's national security spokesman, said that Putin's announcement, despite concerns, was not surprising. According to him, Russia is desperately looking for foreign aid.

He reminded that the defense cooperation between Russia and North Korea has been increasing for the past few months. Kirby believes that China may also be concerned about such a move by Moscow.

The US has been urging Beijing to increase pressure on North Korea. But China's influence over North Korea could diminish if its dependence on Russia increases. In particular, if North Korea resumes nuclear weapons tests, the stability of the entire region could be threatened, which could undermine China's interests, Kirby believes.

North Korea is said to have supplied a lot of ammunition and ballistic missiles to Russia to cover the shortages in the Ukraine war. North Korea, which has been isolated for some time, is also hoping to receive military equipment from Russia.

According to US officials, Pyongyang may seek materials or equipment from Russia to build warplanes, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missiles.