UKRAINE: Putin-'Military Aid' From North Korea 'Would Be Our Sovereign Decision'

Speaking to state-run Rossiya 1 TV, Russian President Vladimir Putin said "Russia and North Korea are to make a decision on military aid contained in the bilateral agreement when the time comes". Says "It would be our sovereign decision whether we need to implement this article of the agreement". The Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreed in June states "that if one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and finds itself in a state of war, the other party will immediately provide military and other assistance with all available means". 

• Putin has not confirmed the participation of North Korea in the war. Nevertheless, there are increasingly clear signs that North Korean troops are now actively deployed in the warzone, with Ukrainian intelligence claiming North Korean forces had been seen in the Kursk region of Russia currently occupied by Ukrainian troops.
• The direct participation of North Korean in the war raises geopolitical risks not just for Kyiv, but also in northeast Asia with South Korea increasingly concerned about the potential impact on the state of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.
• Claims that Ukraine has twice rejected Russian peace initiatives. Putin: "The West has changed its narrative on Ukraine but the level of confrontation has not changed on the whole."
• Putin says that "It's premature to talk about any agreements with Ukraine", but then claims "Russia is ready for reasonable compromises".