- North Korea denies ever providing Russia with weapons.
- It denies any plans to do so.
- It wants to “tarnishing” its reputation.
North Korea denies ever providing Russia with weapons and denies any plans to do so, denouncing US allegations of such transfers as an effort to “tarnishing” its reputation.
An anonymous North Korean defense official claimed that the United States and other adversaries were “spreading a ‘rumor of armaments’ negotiations” between Pyongyang and Moscow in a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency on Thursday.
Using the acronyms for the formal term for North Korea, the official stated, “We strongly denounce and firmly warn the US against propagating such anti-DPRK sentiments.
The official said, “We have never shipped weapons or ammunition to Russia before, and we do not plan to send them.”
After telling reporters that Russia “is in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery rounds from North Korea for use in Ukraine,” Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State, denied the claim a few weeks prior.
Later, the White House referred to it as a “possible purchase,” but John Kirby, the national security spokesman, clarified that there had been “no indications that transaction has been consummated and certainly no evidence that those weapons are being used inside of Ukraine.”
Recently declassified intelligence records from the US stated earlier this month that Russia was purchasing millions of artillery shells and missiles from North Korea, but they lacked further information.
Russia has disputed the charges, asking the US to back up its denial with proof. Any arms exports from North Korea to Russia would be in violation of United Nations resolutions prohibiting the country from acquiring or exporting weapons.
Additionally, Washington has charged Iran with providing drones to Russia for use in its conflict in Ukraine, a charge Tehran has refuted.
The North Korean official warned the US to avoid making “reckless remarks” and “keep its mouth shut” in the statement on KCNA, but he also reaffirmed the US’s “lawful right” to export and import military hardware if it so desired.
The official emphasized that Pyongyang has never acknowledged the “illegal” restrictions imposed by the UN Security Council on the nation by the US and its vassal forces.
Even though the majority of the world has denounced Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korea has pushed to deepen its ties with that country.
North Korea has attributed the situation to the US, claiming that due to the West’s “hegemonic agenda,” Russian military action against Ukraine was legitimate as a means of self-defense.
Meanwhile, Kyiv cut ties with Pyongyang after Pyongyang recognized the independence of two separatist “people’s republics” in eastern Ukraine that were backed by Russia in July.
Recently, the leaders of North Korea and Russia also wrote each other letters praising their relationships.
In a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the occasion of Korea’s Liberation Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that his country and North Korea will “develop the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with joint efforts.”
In a letter to Putin, Kim also stated that the two nations’ “strategic and tactical collaboration, support, and solidarity” had improved as a result of their joint efforts to thwart threats and provocations from “hostile military forces.”
Additionally, North Korea has accelerated its own military buildup by using the conflict as an opportunity to test a variety of weapons, including its first long-range missiles since 2017.
The tests take place in the midst of conflict in the UN Security Council, where China and Russia have thwarted US efforts to impose more stringent sanctions on Pyongyang.
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