North Korea’s Kim says Russia has right to self-defence against Ukraine
Al Jazeera
Pyongyang will ‘invariably support’ Russia ‘to defend its sovereignty’, Kim tells visiting Russian defence chief.
North Korea’s leader has assured steadfast support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and agreed to boost military ties with Moscow, during a meeting with the Russian defence minister, state media reported.
Kim Jong Un said Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons is the result of direct military intervention by the United States, and Russia is entitled to fight in self-defence, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden this month allowed Ukraine to use US-provided, long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) inside Russian territory.
Kim pledged that his country “will invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against imperialist moves for hegemony” while hosting Russian Minister of Defence Andrei Belousov in Pyongyang on Friday, KCNA reported.
Russia and North Korea have deepened their military links, with Pyongyang sending thousands of troops to participate in Moscow’s war effort.
