North Korea denies exporting arms to Russia amid Ukraine war
North Korea slammed US intelligence reports of weapons transfers to Russia during the war in Ukraine, stating that it has not and has no plans to do so and labelling the claims as an attempt to tarnish the hermit nation's image.
In a state media report on Thursday, an unnamed North Korean defence official told the US to stop making "reckless remarks" and to "keep its mouth shut".
Biden administration officials earlier this month confirmed a declassified US intelligence assessment that Russia was in the process of purchasing arms from North Korea, including millions of artillery shells and rockets.
Moscow has also been accused of purchasing weapons such as drones from the likes of Iran in attempts to ease severe supply shortages in Ukraine worsened by US-led export controls and sanctions.
The North Korean statement came weeks after Moscow described the US intelligence finding as "fake".
North Korean arms exports to Russia would violate United Nations resolutions banning the country from importing or exporting weapons.
The North Korean official stressed that Pyongyang has never recognised the "unlawful" UN Security Council sanctions against the country "cooked up by the US and its vassal forces".
The official said the export and import of military equipment is a "lawful right peculiar to a sovereign state", according to an English translation of the statement published by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
"But we take this opportunity to make clear one thing. We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before, and we will not plan to export them," said the official, who was described as a vice director general of the National Defence Ministry's general equipment bureau.
"It is not sure from where the
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