Any possible deployment of North Korean troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine would be a "sovereign decision" by Moscow and Pyongyang, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state media on Oct. 25.
Speaking to Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva, Putin did not explicitly confirm the dispatch of North Korean soldiers, saying that "once it's necessary to make a decision, we will do so."
When foreign journalists asked Putin about the matter at the BRICS summit on Oct. 24, he said that the Russia-North Korea defense treaty provides for such a step.
Asked about satellite images provided by South Korean intelligence, allegedly showing North Korean soldiers heading to Russia, Putin replied, "Images are a serious thing; if there are images, they reflect something."
The comments were seen as the first indirect admission by Russia about the deployment of North Korean troops, which has already been confirmed by Ukraine, South Korea, the U.S., and others.
Pyongyang has dismissed the reports as "groundless rumors."
Downplaying his statements at the BRICS summit, Putin nevertheless reiterated in the interview with Skabeyeva that Article 4 of the treaty enables the deployment of troops.
"What we will do with this article, that is still a question," the Russian president said.
"But I want to say that this is our sovereign decision. Whether we use it or not, where, how, or whether we engage in exercises, training, or transfer some experience. It's our business."
North Korea has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said. The first Noth Korean soldiers are to be deployed to a combat zone on Oct. 27-28, according to Kyiv.
