As the Russia-North Korea alliance becomes closer, Putin claims that South Korea’s decision to arm Ukraine will be a grave mistake

Moscow has threatened to make “unpleasant decisions” in the wake of the recent defense accord between North Korea and Russia if Seoul provides weapons to Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has sent a strong warning to South Korea, stating that arming Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia would be “a big mistake.”

Putin’s comments coincide with Seoul’s consideration of taking similar measures in the wake of a recent defense pact between North Korea and Russia.

In reaction to Seoul’s discussion of arming Ukraine, Putin declared, “Moscow will make decisions which are unlikely to please the current leadership of South Korea.” Shortly after his state visit to Pyongyang, where he signed a mutual defense agreement with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, the Russian president said these things while on a visit to Vietnam.

The presidential office of South Korea declared on Friday that it will consider “many options” in relation to providing Ukraine with armaments, with its ultimate decision depending on what Russia does. According to Yonhap news agency, South Korea is also anticipated to call the Russian ambassador in order to formally protest.

In accordance with its stance against arming parties engaged in conflict, South Korea has up to this point given military hardware and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine but has abstained from sending any deadly weaponry. However, some in Ukraine are hopeful that Seoul may change its mind given the growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Kim Jong Un promised to “full support” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during Putin’s visit. There is evidence that Russian forces are already using North Korean missiles in Ukraine.

The Russian-North Korean agreement worries the US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who said it should worry any country that wants to keep the region peaceful and stable. He pointed out that for several months, the US had been issuing warnings on the two nations’ expanding defense cooperation.