Regarding Russia-North Korea Military Exercise, President Putin: Why Not?

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Source: Alexandr Kryazev/brics-russia2024.ru/Host Photo Agency via Kremlin)

JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia could hold military exercises with North Korea.

"We'll see. We can also do training. Why not?" President Putin said, when asked if Moscow would conduct joint military exercises with Pyongyang.

President Putin, who did not deny or confirm the presence of North Korean troops within Russian territory partly controlled by Ukrainian forces, said the Russian partnership agreement with North Korea signed earlier this year had outlined the outline of Moscow's cooperation with North Korea.

"There is also a fourth article, which talks about mutual aid in the event of aggression by other countries," said President Putin.

"Everything was there. And I repeat once again, practically nothing new compared to the agreement that has ended up just like in the Soviet era," said President Putin.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday North Korean troops had suffered casualties in fighting with Kyiv forces, some of the 11,000 troops he said had been sent to Russia's Kursk territory had taken part in the fighting.