SEOUL: North Korea’s Defense Minister, Kang Sun Nam, has accused the United States of pushing the Ukraine crisis closer to a worldwide nuclear disaster by providing F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv’s forces.
Pyongyang said that Washington has no authority to criticize its military collaboration with Russia, given the US’s own dealings with Ukraine.
North Korea has previously criticized the US for supplying arms, including cluster munitions, to Ukraine. Despite supporting Moscow in its conflict with Ukraine, North Korea denied providing artillery, rockets, and missiles to Russia.
Kang Sun Nam, in a statement conveyed through the official KCNA news agency, stated, “The United States has ‘no legal right or moral justification to criticize normal cooperation between sovereign states in the defense field.'”
North Korea has been fostering closer ties with Russia and recently invited Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
Referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kang remarked, “The United States is responsible for driving the Ukraine crisis to the brink of a global nuclear war by supplying F-16 fighter jets to the Zelensky puppet regime.”
He emphasized North Korea’s support for Russia’s pursuit of justice and sovereign rights. Kang also asserted an intention to significantly enhance military camaraderie with Russia.
In February 2022, Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, characterizing it as a “special military operation” to counter security threats arising from Kyiv’s growing alignment with Western powers. While Kyiv and its Western allies regard Russia’s actions as an unprovoked conquest, Russia’s perspective differs.
In a bid to assist Kyiv’s counter-offensive against Russian forces, the United States has granted approval for the transfer of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine.
Earlier today, Norway has decided to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in order to enhance its air force capabilities and capacity, as reported by Norwegian media on Thursday.
Norway will become the third nation to offer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
