By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed as "nonsense" the rumors suggesting that North Korea plans to deploy its soldiers to participate in Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.
During a news conference in Sochi following a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Putin stated that Russia has a sufficient number of its own combatants and does not need to invite people from outside for combat operations.
"I want to emphasize this again, 300,000 people signed contracts and came as volunteers," he stressed.
Commenting on the Western assessments that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia could exacerbate tensions in the region, Putin said "the largest threats in the world are created by today’s ruling elites."
"They themselves say this. Several years ago, a former (US) Defense Secretary Mr. (Robert) Gates, I think, said the greatest threat to the US came from the territory where the Capitol or the White House is located.
"Therefore, I want to stress once again that this is complete nonsense -- Korea is our neighbor, and we must build good neighbor relations with our neighbors one way or another," he said.
Putin admitted there are "certain specifics associated with the Korean Peninsula," noting that Moscow discusses them with Pyongyang "openly."
"We never violate anything, and in this case, we are not going to violate anything. But, of course, we will look for opportunities to develop Russian-North Korean relations," he said.
For his part, Alexander Lukashenko urged the West "to count first how many of their mercenaries they have sent there (to Ukraine)."
"They (the West) dream about seeing their regular military units there. ... Military units have been formed and are ready to enter Ukraine. You need to look at yourself first and not reproach others," he said.
- 'US thinks it is exceptional'
Putin criticized the US for delivering cluster bombs to Ukraine, stating that it reflects Washington's belief in its exceptionalism, to the extent that it does not hesitate to commit what it considers to be crimes.
"There is one country that thinks it is exceptional, and that is the United States. Even what it considers a crime, it allows itself to do," he said.
"I mean the country considers this (use of cluster bombs) a crime, but does it nonetheless, and this is the main problem of today's international relations. This is the reason why the overwhelming majority of participants in international communication have joined us in fighting to create a multipolar world, since no one sees this situation as acceptable," he said.
According to Putin, "even those countries that appear to be US allies ... do not like this situation where they are reduced to the role of extras."
Asked about the prospects of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Putin said if Ukraine wants to start them, it has to say it openly.
"I already said that we have never refused to hold talks. So, please, if the other party wants them, they should say so directly. I am speaking about it but the other side keeps silent," he stressed.
For his part, Lukashenko noted that Moscow and Kyiv held three rounds of talks in Belarus, then in Istanbul in March 2022 but then US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin "gave a command" to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and he prohibited to hold talks.
"The facts are on the table, they are obvious. So, they should not blame anyone," he said.