Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed his support for Russia’s position on the conflict with Ukraine, stressing that Moscow has the right to act in self-defense.
Speaking to Russia’s Defense Minister, Kim claimed that Ukraine’s deployment of long-range weapons reflects direct US military intervention, according to a report by state media on Saturday.
Kim met with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov on Friday and said that “the United States and the West forced the Kiev authorities to attack Russian territory with their long-range offensive weapons” and Russia must take measures to make “hostile forces pay a price,” North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported. He said.
“The DPRK government, army and people will always support the Russian Federation’s policy of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of the imperialists’ hegemonic moves,” Kim was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency as saying.
The DPRK is an abbreviation of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The Korean Central News Agency said that Kim pledged to expand relations with Russia in all fields, including military affairs, within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership he signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, which includes a mutual defense agreement.
Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have made significant progress since their leaders held a summit in September last year in Russia, and since then North Korea has shipped more than 10,000 containers of ammunition, in addition to self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers, according to South Korean intelligence. an agency.
KCNA did not say whether Kim and Belousov discussed the deployment of North Korean forces in Russia.
South Korea’s spy agency said North Korea sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia, and they were transferred to the front lines, including the Kursk region where Russian forces are trying to expel Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine has launched US ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory after US President Joe Biden’s administration gave permission to use them for such an attack this month.
Russia, in turn, launched attacks on Ukraine’s military and energy infrastructure, saying this was a response to the use of US medium-range missiles.
Belousov held separate talks with North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol, and said that the partnership agreement signed by Kim and Putin would contribute to maintaining the balance of power in Northeast Asia.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim personally attended a reception held by the Ministry of Defense for Belousov’s delegation.