Putin: ‘It would be a mistake for Seoul to provide arms to Kiev’

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned South Korea for providing weapons support to Ukraine, stating that ‘It would be a mistake for Seoul to supply weapons to Kiev. Russia may respond by making decisions that will not please the South Korean government.’
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference in the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, on the last day of his 3-day Asia tour. Putin stated that they will take steps against Western countries arming Ukraine and mentioned that they could also supply weapons to North Korea, saying, ‘Those who supply these weapons claim that they are not in a war with us. I am stating that we reserve the right to supply weapons to other countries by keeping in mind the agreements we have made with North Korea. We are not ignoring where this will lead in the future.’
Emphasizing that South Korea should not worry due to the strategic cooperation agreement signed with North Korea, Putin said, ‘The agreement with North Korea envisages mutual assistance in case of a military attack. If Seoul is not planning to attack Pyongyang, there is nothing for Seoul to fear.’
Putin also warned South Korea for providing weapons support to Ukraine, stating that ‘It would be a mistake for Seoul to supply weapons to Kiev. Russia may respond by making decisions that will not please the South Korean government.’
‘Russia is ready to continue dialogue with Ukraine based on the Istanbul and Minsk agreements’
Speaking about the war in Ukraine, Putin emphasized that they are ready to negotiate with the Kiev side, saying, ‘Russia has never rejected negotiations. The agreements reached in Istanbul in 2022 were acceptable to Ukraine. Therefore, we are ready to continue dialogue with the Ukrainian side based on the Istanbul and Minsk agreements.’
Putin, responding to the question of when negotiations could start, said, ‘They could start tomorrow. Russia’s proposals are already on the table.’
Putin stated that the Russian army advancing towards the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine does not have a plan to take the city, saying, ‘There is no goal to approach Kharkiv. 6 months ago, we started to create secure zones to protect settlements. The attacks continue and Russia has done what it said so far.’
Rejecting the condition of the withdrawal of Russian troops set by Ukraine and Western countries for negotiations, Putin said, ‘If Kiev associates negotiations with Moscow with the withdrawal of Russian troops, such a thing will never happen.’
‘Russian Nuclear Forces are always on high alert’
Continuing to intimidate Western countries through nuclear weapons, Putin said, ‘Russian Nuclear Forces are always ready for war. Therefore, what Western countries are doing now does not bother us. However, we are closely monitoring it.’
‘Russia is considering possible changes in its nuclear doctrine’
Putin emphasized that Western countries are trying to strategically defeat them, saying, ‘Strategic defeat for Russia would mean the end of the state. This also means that there is no need to be afraid. So, one should go all the way.’ Putin also announced that they could change their nuclear doctrine to protect themselves in the nuclear tension with the West, saying, ‘Russia is considering possible changes in its nuclear doctrine. The reason for this is the efforts to lower the threshold for the enemy to use nuclear weapons.’