Kremlin says Russia can provide military support to North Korea ‘if necessary’

ISTANBUL

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia can provide military assistance to North Korea under the strategic partnership deal signed between the two countries late last year.

“We have our own agreement in effect, and, according to this agreement, the parties, in fact, have undertaken to provide significant assistance to each other if necessary,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Peskov said the participation of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s efforts to retake control over the border region of Kursk demonstrated the effectiveness of the strategic partnership agreement signed between the two countries in November of last year.

The Kremlin spokesman added that Russia expects a signal from Ukraine concerning the resumption of direct talks but has not seen any action in this regard.

He went on to deny any new talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, but said they could be quickly agreed upon if necessary.

In reaction to Ukraine claiming it is still present in Russia's border region of Kursk, Peskov said: "I suggest that you still focus on the words of our president."

He also reiterated Moscow's readiness to begin negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions.

On Saturday, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov declared that Russia retook control of the border region of Kursk, while also thanking North Korean soldiers who participated in military actions in the region in what was the first official confirmation of Pyongyang’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022.

Ukraine's General Staff said Gerasimov's remarks "do not correspond to reality," claiming Kyiv's defensive operations in the region are still ongoing, but that the operational situation in the region is "difficult."