North Korean leader vows “invariable support” for Russia
PYONGYANG – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his country will “invariably support” Russia as the conflict with Ukraine escalated following President Joe Biden’s missile decision, according to state-run media reports on Saturday.
Kim met Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov on Friday in the capital Pyongyang and said “the U.S. and the West made Kyiv authorities attack Russia’s territory with their own long-range strike weapons” and Russia should take action to make “hostile forces pay the price,” KCNA news agency said.
Kim added that he supports Russia’s policy to defend its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” from the “imperialists’ moves for hegemony.”
He also expressed his will to further expand and develop bilateral relations in all fields, including politics, economy, and military affairs, under the agreement reached at the North Korea-Russia Pyongyang summit in June this year.
In June, Pyongyang and Moscow signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, pledging to provide military assistance to each other in the event of third-party aggression.
KCNA made no mention of whether Kim and Belousov discussed North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia.
South Korea’s spy agency claimed that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia, and they have been moved to the frontlines, including the Kursk region.
The escalation followed Ukraine’s use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory, in accordance with authorisation from President Joe Biden’s administration.
In retaliation, Russia unleashed attacks on Ukraine and lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike, in line with its updated nuclear doctrine.
