United Nations — 

Russia’s military involvement with North Korea in the Ukraine conflict is being met with global criticism, particularly at the United Nations Security Council where Russia holds a permanent seat.

On Wednesday, Britain, France, Japan, Malta, South Korea, Slovenia, and the United States, along with Ukraine, jointly denounced Russia’s three rounds of lethal airstrikes on December 30, January 2, and January 6.

The group stated that these atrocious assaults were carried out using ballistic missiles and launchers obtained from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Last week, John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, informed reporters that the attacks were an “important and worrying escalation.”

According to recently released intelligence, Kirby stated that Russian troops fired at least one of the missiles supplied by North Korea on December 30. The missile landed in an unpopulated area in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.

Both Russia and North Korea have previously rejected the accusations of possessing weapons.

During the Security Council meeting regarding the state of affairs in Ukraine, the Russian representative referenced an unidentified Ukrainian air force official who claimed that Kyiv has no proof of Russia’s use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine.

Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused Kirby of sharing incorrect information without verifying its accuracy beforehand.

The alternate representative for Special Political Affairs from Washington stated that the United Nations has officially reported 10,000 Ukrainian civilians killed in the ongoing war, with more than 560 of them being children.

Ambassador Robert Wood expressed concern over the increasing number of attacks by Russia’s air force, stating that it is unacceptable for a permanent council member to blatantly disregard council resolutions and attack another member state of the U.N.

Multiple resolutions passed by the council prohibit North Korea from pursuing a ballistic missile program and also forbid the country from exporting weapons or related materials to other nations.

The South Korean Ambassador, Hwang Joonkook, stated that the DPRK violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity and endangered its citizens by using Ukraine as a test site for their nuclear-capable missiles through exporting them to Russia.

According to him, some experts in weaponry believe that the missiles utilized in Ukraine are KN-23. North Korea has asserted that these missiles have the capability to carry nuclear warheads. He informed the council that a particular missile flew a distance of 460 kilometers, which is equivalent to the distance between the North Korean city of Wonsan (a common launch site) and South Korea’s largest port city, Busan.

Hwang stated that from the perspective of the Republic of Korea, this can be seen as a simulated attack. He also mentioned that these launches offer important technical and military knowledge to North Korea, potentially motivating them to sell ballistic missiles to other nations and generate funds for their unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile initiatives.

He implored the council to take action.

The ambassador from Japan stated that North Korea and Russia’s actions not only defied council resolutions, but also posed a threat to the stability of the region.

Ambassador Yamazaki Kazuyuki stated that it is completely unacceptable for the international community to expect a permanent member of the Security Council to comply with Security Council resolutions.

The envoy from Ukraine stated that an inquiry is currently being conducted to confirm the source of the remaining parts of a missile that landed in the Kharkiv region on January 6.

On Wednesday, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the United States, joined 48 other foreign ministers and the EU High Representative in denouncing the export of ballistic missiles by North Korea and their procurement by Russia. They also denounced Russia’s recent use of these missiles against Ukraine.

Source: voanews.com