Kim Jong-un vows to continue developing his nuclear weapons “without limit” while his troops “join Russian combat operations against Ukraine.”
His claim was made in a recent speech to North Korean battalion commanders.
During the speech reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, he claimed that the US and the West are using the conflict in Ukraine to “expand the scope of their military interventions globally.”
Kim said Washington’s “continuing military assistance to Ukraine … raises concerns about World War III.”
The official also promised that his country would strengthen its defenses against nuclear weapons “without limit”.
Kim “is likely considering the possibility of further deployments to support Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, was quoted as saying by Western media.
Last week, North Korea ratified a landmark defense pact with Russia, formalizing months of tightening military ties between two nations that have been close allies throughout the Cold War.
In return for sending troops, the West fears that Russia is providing North Korea with technological support that could advance Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
North Korea recently launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and tested a new solid-fuel ICBM.
The nuclear-armed state’s deployment of troops to Russia led to a shift in tone from Seoul, which has so far resisted calls to send lethal weapons to Kiev but recently indicated it may change its non-provision policy.
Meanwhile, in response to North Korea’s increased involvement in the conflict, President-in-Office Joe Biden announced last night that he had lifted the ban on Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles.
This will allow war-torn Ukraine to fire missiles deep inside Russian territory.
The decision is a major shift in US policy and comes as Biden is about to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit US support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible.
Biden hopes that response will “send a message” to Kim Jong Un to stop sending anything, the sources said.
Source: www.cotidianul.ro
