WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) — The U.S. Defense Department warned North Korea on Thursday (Washington time) that its support for Russia through arms deliveries would not only help prolong the war in Ukraine but would amount to participating “directly” in the massacre of innocent Ukrainians.
U.S. Department of Defense deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh was commenting following this week’s meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which revived the possibility that Pyongyang could supply ammunition Russia.
“I believe that any country that supports Russia in its unjustified war in Ukraine will not only prolong the conflict but also directly engage in the massacre of innocent Ukrainian civilians, representatives and those on the battlefield,” he said. Singh during a press briefing.“We have made our warnings to North Korea very clear.[…] We encourage North Korea not to consider an agreement with Russia.”
Regarding recent remarks by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu who raised the possibility of joint military exercises with the North, Singh considered that if these were to take place, they would have no impact on the bilateral military exercises between the United States and South Korea, or trilateral with the participation of Japan.
“Following the Camp David summit, you could see a commitment from all three leaders […] to continue to engage and support each other,” she added.“I don’t think any type of exercise between North Korea and Russia is going to deter us in our own progress or our relations with the Republic of South Korea or Japan.”
In August, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, his American counterpart Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met for their first trilateral summit at the Camp David presidential retreat near Washington.They had adopted a series of measures, including their commitment to consult each other in the event of a common threat and to organize trilateral discussions at least annually between their leaders, foreign ministers, defense ministers, and national security advisers. .
Source : fr.yna.co.kr