President Vladimir Putin suggested on Thursday that Russia could hold military drills with North Korea."We'll see. We could also conduct exercises. Why not?," Putin said, when asked whether Moscow would conduct joint military drills with Pyongyang.

The upper house of Russian parliament has ratified a treaty with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Moscow on Monday with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, at a time of mounting concern in the West about growing military ties between the two countries.