KAZAN. Oct 24 (Interfax) - The Russian-North Korean strategic partnership treaty includes a clause on providing military assistance to each other, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in reply to a question concerning the apparent presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia.
"Our treaty on strategic partnership was ratified today, if I am not mistaken. It includes Article 4. We've never doubted that the North Korean leadership will treat our agreements seriously. It's for us to decide what we're going to do under this clause and how," Putin told journalists at a press conference following the BRICS summit in Kazan.
"Negotiations on the implementation of Article 4 of this treaty have yet to be conducted. We're in touch with our North Korean friends. Let's see how this process develops," Putin said while commenting on reports on satellite imagery showing North Korean soldiers staying on Russian territory.
"Imagery is a serious thing. If there's imagery, then it reflects something," he said.
"I'd like to point it out to you that it's not Russia's actions that led to the escalation in Ukraine but the 2014 coup, which was supported by the U.S. in the first place," Putin said.
"The following steps leading up to the escalation included Western countries' starting to actively arm the Kiev region. What has this evolved into? Into the active engagement of NATO service members in this conflict," he said.
"We know what is done and how and when unmanned surface vessels are launched in the Black Sea. We know who is present there, from what NATO European countries, and how they're doing this work. The same concerns military instructors, and the same concerns the use of precision-guided weapons, including ATACMS and Storm Shadow," Putin said.