US ‘incredibly concerned’ over Putin’s threat to supply weapons to North Korea after Asia tour

State department warns such a move could destabilise the peninsula, as South Korea considers arming Ukraine

Vladimir Putin's suggestion that Russia could supply weapons to North Korea is incredibly concerning", a senior US official has said, days after Putin and the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, signed a defence pact that requires their countries to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked.

Matthew Miller, a US state department spokesperson, said the provision of Russian weapons to Pyongyang would destabilise the Korean peninsula, of course, and potentially ... depending on the type of weapons they provide ... violate UN security council resolutions that Russia itself has supported".