MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Moscow and Pyongyang will decide on their own whether and how exactly to apply the military assistance article of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Olga Skabeyeva for the 60 Minutes program on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.
He noted that the point at issue was military assistance mentioned in the fourth article of the agreement.
"There is article four. How we will go about the business of using this article remains a question. We are in touch with our North Korean friends. When we need to decide something, we will certainly make a decision. Our friends in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have a corresponding position," Putin pointed out.
"But I would like to say that it will be our sovereign decision: whether we will apply something or not, where, how. Whether we need it or whether we will be engaged, let's say, only in conducting some exercises, training and sharing experience. This is entirely our own business," Putin pointed out.
He compared this situation to Ukraine's decision concerning its relationship with NATO.
"We have been told all the time that it is the business of Ukraine itself how to ensure its security - with NATO or without NATO."
"May they go ahead, if they like it that way. But it seems to me that they like it less and less. The sooner they realize the futility of such an approach in relations with Russia, the better it will be for everyone, including, and perhaps, above all, for themselves," Putin noted.
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty was signed by the Russian and DPRK leaders, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, during the Russian president's state visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. Among other things, the two sides agreed to provide each other with military assistance in case of aggression.
"In the event that either party is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and finds itself in a state of war, the other party shall immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the fourth article of the treaty reads.