Putin: "Thankful that South Korea does not supply weapons to Ukraine... Expecting restoration of relations"

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on the 5th (local time) that he is ready to restore Russia-Korea relations. He also mentioned that he highly appreciates the fact that South Korea does not directly supply weapons to Ukraine.

According to Yonhap News Agency, citing Russia's TASS news agency and others, President Putin responded this way to questions about Russia-Korea relations during a meeting with representatives of major news agencies in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on the same day.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

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At the event held ahead of the opening of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), President Putin said, "We have not seen any Russophobic attitude when working with the South Korean government. And there is no supply of weapons to conflict zones," adding, "We are very grateful for this."

This is the first time President Putin has publicly given a positive evaluation of South Korea regarding the issue of support for Ukraine. Previously, in an October 2022 speech at the Valdai Club, Putin warned, "It is known that South Korea decided to supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine," and said, "This will destroy our relations."

In his response on this day, President Putin emphasized, "We hope that Russia-Korea relations will not deteriorate. We are interested in the development of bilateral relations concerning the entire Korean Peninsula." He continued, "Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing negative impacts on trade and economic relations, but we hope to partially maintain the level of relations achieved over the past decades and recover in the future."

However, he also expressed regret, saying, "Unfortunately, South Korea has created certain problems in several areas of cooperation with us," placing responsibility on South Korea. Nevertheless, he stated, "We will continue to cooperate with South Korea, but this is a choice made by the South Korean leadership, not us," and added, "On our side, channels are open, and we are ready to continue cooperation."

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, relations between the two countries have cooled as South Korea joined Western sanctions against Russia and tensions escalated over the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

Regarding North Korea, President Putin said, "We will develop relations with our neighbor North Korea, whether others like it or not." Since holding a summit with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in Russia's Far East in September last year, Putin has been accelerating closer ties with North Korea. Currently, a visit by President Putin to North Korea is also being promoted as a reciprocal visit.

Regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, President Putin defended North Korea, saying, "North Korea has repeatedly shown willingness to negotiate with the United States and others," and pointed out that the 2018 summit between former U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un demonstrated this willingness.

He added, "Moreover, North Korea agreed with the United States not to conduct (nuclear) tests and dismantled its nuclear test site, but the United States violated the agreement first," and claimed, "What did they get in return? The United States unilaterally violated the agreement without any shame, and North Korea withdrew from the agreement." He further stated, "They (North Korea) respond if threatened. If there were no threats, I believe the nuclear issue would be gradually resolved," and questioned, "But they are constantly threatened, so what can they do?"

Regarding Japan, President Putin said, "We see Japan getting involved in the Ukraine crisis," and showed a tough stance by saying, "Dialogue with Japan will only be possible if Japan changes its position on Ukraine."

When asked about the Kuril Islands, over which Japan and Russia have a territorial dispute, President Putin asserted, "The Kuril Islands are our sovereign territory, so why should we be ashamed to visit them?" and claimed, "The Kuril Islands are our territory as a result of World War II." He added, "There is no reason not to visit the Kuril Islands, but due to a busy schedule, there are no plans."

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