SEOUL, June 16. /TASS/. Continued supplies of US high-tech weapons to Ukraine will entail a resolute response from Russia, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
"If the United States continues its irresponsible actions by providing military support to Ukraine, this will entail an even harsher response from Russia. This, in turn, will complicate the situation in the region and increase the risk of an armed conflict between Russia and the United States," reads the statement uploaded to the Foreign Ministry’s website.
North Korea recalls that US President Joe Biden in early June announced his intention to send to Ukraine "ultra-modern offensive weapons - from HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to anti-tank missile systems and helicopters." This move evoked a sharp reaction from the Russian authorities, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said. "This is due to the fact that US weapons supplies to Ukraine trespass the red line drawn by Moscow and threaten Russia’s security."
"HIMARS can hit targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers, depending on the type of ammunition. No one can guarantee that Ukraine will not attack Russian territory using this system," the North Korean Foreign Ministry emphasized.
"When he announced the plan [to supply HIMARS to Kiev], Biden feigned ignorance, arguing that this would not give the Ukrainian military the ability to strike across the border with Russia. There is a sinister purpose behind these words: to force the international community to recognize that future attacks on Russia from Ukraine will not be connected with the United States in any way, thus lifting the responsibility for them from Washington," the North Korean Foreign Ministry concluded.
Russia's operation and steps by the West
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Xinhua news agency on April 30 that the NATO countries were doing their utmost in attempts to prevent the completion of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine through political agreements. Lavrov stressed that various weapons were being sent to Ukraine in an incessant flow under the pretext of "fighting an invasion", but in reality, the US and the EU intend to fight against Russia "to the last Ukrainian," while staying absolutely indifferent to the fate of Ukraine as an independent actor in international relations.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation following a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow's plans did not include an occupation of Ukrainian territories, its goals being the demilitarization and denazification of the country. In response, the West began to gradually introduce sweeping sanctions against Moscow and to supply weapons and military equipment to Kiev estimated at billions of dollars.