South Korea would be making “a big mistake” if it decides to supply arms to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, warning that Moscow would respond if so.

A local news report yesterday suggested that South Korea would review the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine after Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a mutual defence pact.

Putin said Seoul had nothing to worry about when it came to the pact “because our military assistance ... only arises if aggression is carried out against one of the signatories”.

“As for the supply of lethal weapons to the war zone in Ukraine, that would be a very big mistake,” he said. “I hope that this will not happen. And if it does happen, then we will also take appropriate decisions, which are unlikely to please the current leadership of South Korea”.

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