North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has derided American weapons and praised the role of his troops fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine.
Kim, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, made the comments on Friday in Pyongyang on the day that Moscow’s Red Square hosted Victory Day celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Moscow also announced that monuments in Russia’s Kursk region would be erected in honor of North Korea’s soldiers fighting against Ukraine.
Why It Matters
Kim’s statement comes only weeks after Pyongyang finally admitted its role in the war, something that Kyiv and the U.S. had reported months before.
His criticism of the U.S. signals that North Korea is becoming more overt in its support for Putin’s invasion, posing a problem for Ukraine’s allies as they deal with the entry of another country into the war.
What To Know
Kim’s generals attended the Red Square parade, and images show them being greeted by Putin.
The North Korean leader Kim referred to cooperation with Russia in the war in Ukraine during a visit to Moscow’s embassy in Pyongyang, where he congratulated the Russians on the 80th anniversary of their victory in World War II.
In the speech published by state news agency KCNA, Kim paid tribute to North Korean “heroes” who fought “shoulder to shoulder” with Russian troops in the Kursk region, where Ukraine staged an incursion in August 2024.
Kim described North Korea’s involvement in the war as “justifiable” before taking aim at the U.S. and the West and their “tacky defective munitions.” He said, if the weapons were used in another attack on Russia, Pyongyang would deploy more troops.
North Korea has provided the Russians with artillery shells, ballistic missiles, and other supplies over the course of the war but only publicly admitted its involvement in Russia’s war in late April. An estimated 11,000 troops were sent to Kursk, and Ukraine has said that already thousands have been wounded.
Russia plans to commemorate North Korean soldiers who fought alongside its forces against Ukraine by naming streets and erecting monuments in Kursk, according to Alexander Matsegora, Russian ambassador to Pyongyang.
What People Are Saying
North Korean President Kim Jong Un said, per KCNA: “If the henchmen of the United States and the West, with their tacky, defective munitions, attempt another assault on Russia, I will unhesitatingly issue an order on using the armed forces of the DPRK (North Korea) in repelling the enemy’s invasion.”
What Happens Next
Amid uncertainty about North Korea’s continuing role in the war, leaders from France, Germany and the U.K. are meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told U.S. channel ABC that a 30-day truce agreed by Kyiv and the U.S. would happen only if Western countries suspend the supply of weapons to Kyiv.
The post Kim Jong Un Says US Weapons ‘Tacky, Defective’ appeared first on Newsweek.
