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North Korea denies Russia's claim of weapons shipments
North Korea denies Russia’s claim of weapons shipments
The sale of arms would indicate a deepening of ties between the two countries at a moment when Pyongyang is preparing for a nuke test.
North Korea dismissed US claims that it is secretly shipping weapons to Russia to support its war in Ukraine. It claimed it has never sold arms to Moscow, and it does not plan to.
After John Kirby, White House National Security Spokesperson, stated last week that US information indicated that North Korea was supplying Russia with a “significant” amount of artillery shells,
He claimed that North Korea tried to hide the shipment by sending them through the Middle East and North African countries. Washington was also monitoring the shipment to ensure they were received.
Officials from the North Korean defense ministry called the allegation a “rumor” and stated that Pyongyang has “never had arms deals with Russia” and “no plans to do so in future”.
“We consider such moves by the US to be part of its hostile effort to tarnish the image of DPRK in the international arena by invoking illegal sanctions resolutions’ of the (UN Security Council against the DPRK”),” the official stated in a statement by KCNA. He was referring to North Korea using the initials of its official title.
This rebuke comes amid heightened tensions in the Korean peninsula following a series of weapons tests by North Korea last week.
South Korea and the USA warned that North Korea may be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
Kirby stated that the US believes that Pyongyang sent a significant number of bombs to Russia to prolong the war which has been ongoing for eight months. However, it is not sufficient to give Russia an advantage over the Ukrainian forces being supplied by NATO and the US.
North Korea was the only country in the world that recognized the pro-Russian separatist territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas. It also supported Russia’s declared annexation of other parts of the country.
In September, Pyongyang denied that North Korea had claimed in US intelligence documents that it was planning to sell artillery rockets and shells to Moscow to replenish its stockpiles.
Any arms assistance would be an additional sign of deepening ties between Moscow-Pyongyang, as Russia’s isolation has grown over the war in Ukraine.
Victor Cha, a US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, stated that North Korea was using the Ukraine war as a way to strengthen its relations with Russia.
Kirby stated that the shipment was “a sign of Russia’s defense article shortages, and needs”, as Russia is under international sanctions that limit its ability to replenish its military.
The US monitors the shipments and interception may be possible, given Russia’s veto at UN Security Council.
He said that the US authorities could work with other countries to hold the cargo at customs to avoid military clashes.
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