North Korea condemns US allegations of arms transfer
North Korea says it has never shipped arms to Russia and has no intention of doing so, and has condemned US allegations of arms transfers for the war in Ukraine as a attempt to “tarnish” the country’s image.
In a statement released Thursday by the Korean Central News Agency, an unnamed North Korean defense official said the United States and other hostile forces were spreading “a ‘rumor of arms deals'” between Pyongyang and Moscow.
“We strongly condemn and warn the United States not to spread such rhetoric against the DPRK,” the official said, using the abbreviations of North Korea’s official name. “We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and do not plan to do so,” the official added.
The denial came weeks after US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that Russia was “purchasing millions of missiles and artillery shells from North Korea for use in Ukraine”. The White House later called it a “potential purchase,” with National Security spokesman John Kirby clarifying that “there is no indication that the purchase has been completed and certainly no indication that those weapons are being used in Ukraine”.
North Korea condemns US allegations of arms transfer
Earlier this month, recently released US intelligence reports reported that Russia bought millions of artillery shells and missiles from North Korea, but did not go into detail. Any arms exports from North Korea to Russia would violate UN resolutions banning the country from importing or exporting weapons, and Russia has denied the allegations and asked the US to provide evidence.
Washington also accused Iran of providing drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine, a claim Tehran denied.
In the KCNA statement, the North Korean official told the United States to stop making “reckless remarks” and “shut up”, but reiterated their “legal right” to export and import military equipment if it so wished. The official stressed that Pyongyang has never recognized the “illegitimate” sanctions of the UN Security Council against the country “established by the US and its vassal forces”.
