Russia Considers North Korea as Partner for Peace Talks With US

Russia is considering the inclusion of North Korea and other non-Western states in potential peace talks on Ukraine, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a meeting with sailors aboard the nuclear submarine Arkhangelsk on March 28.

“This includes the People’s Republic of China, India, Brazil, South Africa, all the BRICS countries. And many others, for example, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Putin said, referring to countries he described as “friendly” to Russia.

He emphasized North Korea’s status as a Russian “partner,” citing a bilateral military cooperation agreement that came into force at the end of 2023. The agreement obliges both nations to assist each other “by all available means” in the event of an attack.

According to Putin, cooperation with North Korea is active in both military and technical spheres. Western intelligence agencies have previously assessed that Pyongyang has transferred at least 10,000 troops and more than 2 million artillery shells to Russia.

Putin repeated criticism of Western countries, accusing them of having “led Russia by the nose,” and alleged that European nations “are constantly trying” to do so. He added that while Russia supports the resolution of the war through peaceful means, it will not do so “at our expense.”

Sources familiar with the Kremlin’s strategy told The Moscow Times that Putin seeks to prolong negotiations to secure territorial gains before a settlement. Additionally, sources indicated, that Moscow remains focused on seizing full control over Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions—despite lacking full military control of any of them.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on March 28 that Russia may disregard the informal moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, accusing Kyiv of violating the agreement.