Will Russia supply weapons to North Korea through the supply of Western F-16s to Ukraine?

Some Telegram channels claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his visit to Pyongyang, said he would provide the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, the official name of North Korea) with planes and missiles if The West was transferring F-16s to Ukraine and allowing strikes in Russia with Western weapons.

However, even though the new agreement signed by Moscow and Pyongyang does specify “mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties”, and although Putin criticized Western deliveries of F-16s to Ukraine in a statement , the two are not necessarily related.

Screenshot of updating a Ukrainian Telegram channel

“The Russian Federation will provide the DPRK with aircraft and missiles if the F-16 is transferred to Ukraine and attacks on Russian territory are allowed with American weapons,” one of these announcements reads, citing an alleged speech by Putin.

The Kyiv Post found no evidence of the statement Putin made, and the report is likely an extrapolation and an attempt to draw connections between two developing stories.

Is Russia supplying weapons to North Korea?

As the Kyiv Post reported earlier, Putin simply stated that he “does not rule out the development” of military-technical cooperation with North Korea, without mentioning details.

He also called the new strategic treaty a “revolutionary document,” adding that it provided “among other things, mutual assistance in the event of aggression against any of the parties to this treaty.”

In short, there is no guarantee that Russia will supply North Korea with planes and missiles – which is unlikely in any case since at present, it is Pyongyang which supplies Moscow with artillery and missiles, and not the other way around due to Moscow's limited resources.

What did Putin say?

Following his negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Putin characterized Western military aid to Ukraine, including F-16 multirole fighters and the recent green light for strikes against targets in Russia using Western weapons, violating unspecified international obligations.

“This is not just a statement, it is already happening, and all this is a blatant violation of the restrictions assumed by Western countries within the framework of various international obligations,” Putin said, as reported by Radio Liberty.

However, he did not specify which international obligations they were violating.

There is no mention of arms transfers to North Korea in connection with his criticism. The criticism itself is nothing new: On March 28, Putin threatened to attack third countries that will host Ukraine's next F-16 fighters, calling them “legitimate targets” for Russia.

“Of course, if they are used from third country airfields, they become a legitimate target for us, wherever they are,” he said.

In short, Putin is not giving planes or missiles to North Korea in retaliation for Western aid to Ukraine. In fact, it is likely that North Korea will give Russia weapons to support its war in Ukraine.