North Korea has denied assisting Russia with weapons and ammunition to bolster Moscow’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The Pyongyang Defense Ministry stated earlier in a statement issued on Wednesday that Washington and “hostile forces” had circulated rumours of “arms dealings” in a bid to tarnish North Korea’s image.
“We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them,” a senior official of the ministry’s equipment bureau said in a statement issued on Thursday by the state news agency KCNA.
Earlier this month, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby mentioned that Russia may potentially buy millions of rockets and artillery shells from Pyongyang.
He did, however, state that the US had no evidence that such sales had occurred.
According to military experts, the Russian military continues to face acute supply shortages in Ukraine, most likely as a result of sanctions and export restrictions.
Meanwhile, British intelligence officials concluded last week that Russia was “almost certainly increasingly sourcing weaponry” from other sanctioned countries such as Iran and North Korea.
North Korea, which is essentially isolated, has expressed its support for Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February, a move that sparked widespread anger in the West.
Because of its nuclear weapons program, Pyongyang is subject to harsh international sanctions.
