Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, has accused the US of waging a “proxy war” against Russia.
An influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un condemned the United States’ decision to supply Ukraine with advanced battle tanks to help fight Russian troops, accusing Washington of crossing a “red line” and escalating a “puppet war” aimed at destroying Moscow.
Friday’s comments by Kim Yo-jong underlined that North Korea is deepening its alliance with Russia over the war in Ukraine, as well as opposing the US and its Asian allies over its own growing nuclear and missile program.
“I express my grave concern about the escalation of the US military situation through the provision of military equipment to Ukraine for ground offensive,” Kim Yo-jong said in her first public statement in several months.
“The United States is the main criminal that poses a serious threat and challenge to Russia’s strategic security and brings the situation in the region to a serious phase,” said Kim, deputy department head of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. .
“I have no doubt that any military equipment that the US and the West boast about will be burned to pieces in the face of the indomitable fighting spirit and might of the heroic Russian army and people,” she said, adding that North Korea will always “stand in the same trench.” » with Russia.
Kim’s comments, relayed by the country’s official Korean Central News Agency, came after the US said it would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, ending months of Washington’s hesitation on the matter. The US announcement follows Germany’s decision to also provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own stocks.
NEW: Kim Jong-un’s sister criticizes US for sending tanks to Ukraine.
In a statement released by KCNA on Friday, Kim Yo Jong criticized Washington for “crossing the line” and putting Europe in “grave danger.”
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) January 28, 2023
Kim said that US President Joe Biden’s administration “crossed the red line even further” by sending its main tanks into Ukraine, and that the decision reflected “a sinister intent to realize its hegemonic goal by further expanding a proxy war to destroy Russia.”
North Korea has blamed the US for the crisis in Ukraine, insisting that Western “hegemonic politics” forced Russia to take military action to protect its security interests.
North Korea is also the only country outside of Russia and Syria to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, and hint at plans to send workers there to help rebuild.
The US has accused North Korea of sending large stockpiles of artillery shells and other munitions to Russia to support its offensive in Ukraine, although North Korea has repeatedly denied this claim.
Pyongyang has also accelerated its weapons development by testing more than 70 missiles in 2022 alone, including ICBMs with the potential to carry nuclear weapons.
