North Korea has accused Ukraine’s chief of “playing” with the lives of his folks by pursuing nuclear weapons or inserting U.S. nuclear weapons within the war-hit nation, North Korea’s official mouthpiece mentioned on Sunday.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean chief Kim Jong Un, referred to a petition posted on the Ukrainian president’s web site that requires Ukraine to develop its nuclear arsenal or host U.S. nuclear weapons on its territory.
The petition, posted on the web site on March 30, had gathered 611 signatures as of Saturday. It requires no less than 25,000 to elicit a response from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a press release carried by the state-run Korean Central Information Company (KCNA), Kim mentioned the petition was “a product of the Zelenskyy authorities’ sinister political plot” however didn’t present any supporting proof.
“The Ukrainian authorities, seized with the incurable megalomania that may defeat Russia, are incurring a nuclear catastrophe threatening their existence with none elementary consciousness of foresight and any potential to deal with its ensuing penalties,” she mentioned.
“Zelenskyy’s discuss concerning the introduction of U.S. nuclear weapons and the unbiased improvement of nuclear weapons is a manifestation of his very harmful political ambition to delay his remaining days at any price by playing with the future of his nation and folks,” Kim added.
Kim mentioned that Ukraine won’t ever be a rival to Russia, and that Zelenskyy can be mistaken to consider that counting on the US’ nuclear umbrella would allow his troops to defeat the Russians.
“If the Zelenskyy authorities calculated that they’ll keep away from the highly effective hearth of Russia solely once they go below the U.S. nuclear umbrella, which had already been perforated, they’re going to the mistaken path, the final path,” she mentioned.
The petition was submitted to Zelenskyy’s web site after Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed plans to put tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which borders Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Putin mentioned that his army would have management of any weapons which are stationed in Belarus, which was utilized in half by Russian forces to assist stage final 12 months’s invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea Supplying Weapons to Russia: US
The USA has assessed that Russia is sending a delegation to North Korea to supply meals in change for weaponry, White Home Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby mentioned on Friday.
“As a part of this proposed deal, Russia would obtain over two dozen sorts of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang,” Kirby instructed reporters.
Kirby beforehand accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russian personal army contractor Wagner Group, pointing to photographs allegedly displaying Russian railcars touring to North Korea in November 2022. Each North Korea and Wagner have denied this.
The Treasury Division’s Workplace of Overseas Belongings Management not too long ago sanctioned a Slovakian nationwide named Ashot Mkrtychev for allegedly trying to facilitate arms offers between Russia and North Korea.
“Russia has misplaced over 9,000 items of heavy army tools because the begin of the conflict, and thanks partly to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has change into more and more determined to switch them,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen mentioned in a press release.
“Schemes just like the arms deal pursued by this particular person present that Putin is popping to suppliers of final resort like Iran and the DPRK,” she mentioned, referring to North Korea’s official identify, the Democratic Folks’s Republic of Korea.
North Korea fired greater than 70 missiles final 12 months, one among which concerned the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-17, which consultants dubbed a “monster missile” able to placing anyplace in the US.
China and Russia had vetoed a decision that will have tightened sanctions on North Korea for its missile launches, which have been banned below U.N. Safety Council resolutions since 2006.
Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
