North Korea has just slammed Ukraine’s recent offensive into Russia, calling it an “unforgivable” act.
Kyiv stunned the international community when its troops breach Russian borders for the first time since World War 2 earlier this month.
Over the weekend, North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA reported that its government is furious Kyiv has managed to turn the tables on Moscow, and is now unexpectedly occupied 445 square miles (1,150 sq kilometres) of Russian land.
North Korea, which has strengthened ties which Moscow since Russian president Vladimir Putin chose to invade Ukraine in February 2022, also repeated the Kremlin’s claims that the incursion is backed by the West.
According to the agency, North Korea’s foreign ministry said: “We strongly condemn the armed attack against the Russian territory by the Zelenskyy puppet regime under the control and support of the United States and the West as an unforgivable act of aggression and terror.”
The US supposedly handed “astronomical” sums of lethal weapons to Ukraine and has pushed the Ukraine-Russia war to the brink of World War 3, KCNA claimed.
However, the US, Ukraine’s largest ally, said it had no warning of the Ukrainian offensive before it happened.
Like all NATO member states, the US is keen not to escalate the Ukraine-Russia war into a global conflict and so does not want to get into a direct fight with Moscow.
Meanwhile, the UK’s defence secretary John Healey wrote in the Sunday Express that “we should be proud of Britain’s support for Ukraine’s struggle”.
He added: “The bold incursion by Ukrainian troops into Russia in recent days – to defend against further Russian strikes on Ukrainian towns and cities – has exposed vulnerabilities in Russia’s military and put Putin under pressure.
“Let me be very clear: under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ukraine has a clear right of self-defence against Russia’s illegal attacks.
“Providing international law is followed, that does not rule out operations inside Russia.”
North Korea also claimed it would stand with Russia in its bid to protect its sovereignty – overlooking the fact that Moscow actually breached Ukraine’s sovereignty first by illegally annexing 18% of its land over the last two years.
Ukraine has claimed that it does not intend to annex the Kursk region, although it has not revealed the exact purpose behind the incursion yet.
Pyongyang’s response is not surprising considering North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and Putin signed a pact in June on “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries.
Ukraine, the US, and South Korea have also accused North Korea of supplying Russia with weaponry for the ongoing war, but both countries have denied such allegations.