Russian President Vladimir Putin's mutual defense deal with North Korea could create friction with China, which has long been a key ally of the isolated country, said last night a high-ranking US military official quoted by Reuters and BTA.
"We have somebody else who seems to be trying to intervene now, so that could lead to a little more friction between (China) and Russia,", US Air Force Gen. C.C. Brown told reporters , who is also chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"So it will be interesting to see how these three countries deal with this," he added.
Analysts say Wednesday's pact could erode Beijing's influence over its two neighbors and that any increase in instability could hurt China's global economic and strategic ambitions.
Putin said on Thursday that Russia could supply weapons to North Korea, which he said would be a mirror response to the West's arming of Ukraine.
Brown acknowledged that the US has concerns about the deal.
However, he also pointed to the apparent limitations of the agreement and expressed doubts that Moscow would give North Korea "everything" it wants.
U.S. officials believe North Korea wants to acquire fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, equipment or materials for the production of ballistic missiles and other advanced technology from Russia, according to Reuters.
"The feedback I got on the agreement -- it was a broad agreement that wasn't too binding, which gives you an indication (that) they want to work together but they don't want to tie their hands,'' Brown said.
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The treaty signed by Putin and Kim Jong-un on Wednesday obliges each side to provide immediate military assistance to the other in the event of armed aggression against either side.
Putin said that Moscow expects its cooperation with North Korea to serve as a deterrent to the West, but that there is no need to use North Korean soldiers for the war in Ukraine.
The US and Ukraine claim that North Korea has already provided Russia with significant quantities of artillery shells and ballistic missiles, which Moscow and Pyongyang deny.
Meanwhile, a senior North Korean official criticized the US for expanding military support for Ukraine, the North's state media KCTA reported.
Park Yong-chon, one of North Korea's top military officials, said Russia had "the right to choose any kind of retaliation" in a statement released by the CTC today.
In his statement, he also referenced Pentagon comments last week that Ukrainian forces could use US-supplied weapons to strike Russian forces anywhere on Russian territory.
He again added that North Korea will always stand with the Russian army and people in their "struggle to protect sovereign rights".