(LEAD) Putin notes possibility of joint military exercises between N. Korea, Russia: TASS
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By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday mentioned the possibility of Russia and North Korea holding joint military exercises, TASS reported, amid growing concerns about deepening military cooperation between the two countries.
Putin made the remarks, citing the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty that he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his trip to Pyongyang in June. The treaty includes a mutual defense clause in what is seen as a revival of the two countries’ Cold War-era military alliance.
“Why not? We’ll see,” Putin was quoted by TASS as saying during a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank, in Sochi, as he responded to a question on the issue.
In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik and released by AFP, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin answers a question during the Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi on Nov. 7, 2024. (Yonhap)
On the treaty with the North, Putin said it does not contain anything new, but the two countries have returned to a similar document of the Soviet era, according to TASS.
“The treaty we signed with North Korea was the one we’ve signed with other countries. It was with the Soviet Union, then of course it ceased to exist, and we actually returned to it. That’s all,” he said. “There is nothing new there.”
Following the signing of the treaty, the two countries’ military partnership has risen to new heights. If realized, joint military drills between the North and Russia would mark further deepening of the two countries’ partnership.
The United States has confirmed that as many as 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia’s western front-line Kursk region with the possibility of engaging in combat against Ukrainian forces.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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