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Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he may begin supplying weapons to North Korea in response to the West’s arming of Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in Vietnam on Thursday after visiting North Korea and signing a mutual defense agreement with Kim Jong Un, Putin suggested that this move could mirror the Western military support for Ukraine. This agreement has heightened concerns in the West, which already views North Korea’s missile development in defiance of UN sanctions with apprehension.

While speaking to reporters, Putin said, “I said, including in Pyongyang, that we then reserve the right to supply weapons to other regions of the world. Taking into account our agreements with North Korea, I do not exclude this either. We do not rule out supplying weapons to other countries, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Let the West think where they might end up.”

This development comes after Putin hinted that Russia might supply arms to Western adversaries as a countermeasure to Western high-precision weapon supplies to Ukraine.

Putin also warned South Korea against supplying arms to Ukraine, indicating that Moscow would respond in a manner that would be “painful” for Seoul. This follows a report from South Korean news agency Yonhap suggesting that Seoul might reconsider its stance on arms sales to Ukraine in light of the new Russia-North Korea defense pact.

South Korea, which has seen substantial growth in international military sales, has a long-standing policy against selling weapons to active conflict zones.