Politics & Security

Putin Addresses BRICS Expansion and North Korea's Role in Ukraine

During a press conference, Putin testily addressed North Korea's involvement in Ukraine and backed the expansion of BRICS through a "partner countries" scheme.

Published

2 days ago

October 25, 2024

Yuichi Onoda

President Putin attended a related meeting of the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Central Russia, on October 24. On the left is the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh. (©AP = Kyodo)

On October 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference following the conclusion of the BRICS summit. An acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, BRICS is a loose coalition of developing economies. The summit took place in Kazan, central Russia.

‘Our Own Business’

At the conference, a reporter asked Putin about reports suggesting that North Korean troops had entered Russia to join the invasion of Ukraine. He did not explicitly deny the possibility. “What we (Russia and North Korea) do and how we do it is our own business,” he replied.

One United States media outlet mentioned reports that "satellite images confirm North Korean troops entering Russia, suggesting a potential escalation of the conflict." Putin responded by emphasizing that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries had been "arming" Ukraine even before Russia launched its military operations.

*A frame from a video purportedly showing North Korean troops entering Russia receiving Russian-made equipment. (Posted on social media by the Ukrainian government Center for Strategic Communications)*

He further noted that NATO personnel are currently helping operate weapons provided to Ukraine, directly involving them in the conflict. “It is the Western nations that have escalated the situation,” he argued.

Furthermore, Putin stated that Russia and North Korea have entered into a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership." The two nations have effectively established a military alliance under which they coordinate closely and act in unison.

New BRICS Partners

During the press conference, Putin also expressed support for expanding BRICS by creating a new category of "partner countries." A list of candidate partner countries has already been agreed upon, he declared. Moving forward, invitations will be sent to each country, and the list will be made public once their consent is obtained.

*Leaders of the five member countries at the BRICS Summit on August 23, 2023, in Johannesburg, South Africa. (©TASS via AP)*

A Kremlin aide gave the number of candidate partner countries as "13." Some media outlets reported that these countries include Turkey, Indonesia, Algeria, Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Uganda.