Russia asks the UN: Why can’t North Korea help us if the West helps Ukraine?

Russia’s representative to the UN on Wednesday asked why, given that Western nations assert the right to assist Kyiv, its allies, such as North Korea, could not support Moscow in its fight against Ukraine.

At a Security Council meeting, nations like the United States, Britain, South Korea, Ukraine, and others blasted Vassily Nebenzia, accusing Russia of breaking both the founding U.N. Charter and U.N. resolutions by sending soldiers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to support Moscow.

“It is illegal to support an act of aggression, which contravenes the principles of the U.N. Charter,” stated Joonkook Hwang, the ambassador of South Korea to the U.N. “Any activities that are entailed with the DPRK’s dispatch of troops to Russia are clear violations of multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions.”

Around 10,000 North Korean personnel were already in eastern Russia, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated on Wednesday that it was probable that they would be employed to assist combat operations in the Kursk region of Russia, which is close to the Ukrainian border.

Russia’s military engagement with North Korea, according to Nebenzia, does not contravene international law. Russia has been fighting the war in Ukraine since February 2022, and it has not disputed that North Korean forces are involved.

“Even if everything that’s being said about the cooperation between Russia and North Korea by our Western colleagues is true, why is it that the United States and allies are trying to impose on everyone the flawed logic that they have the right to help the Zelenskiy regime … and Russian allies have no right to do a similar thing,” Nebenzia explained.

Sergiy Kyslytsya, the ambassador of Ukraine to the United Nations, retorted, “No country that provides assistance to Ukraine is under Security Council sanctions.”

“Receiving assistance from the fully-sanctioned North Korea is a brazen violation of the U.N. Charter,” he continued. “Sending the DPRK troops to support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law.”

In order to prevent Pyongyang from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on North Korea since 2006. These restrictions have been gradually tightened over time.

Although it has denied sending soldiers to Russia, North Korea has stated that any such action would be in accordance with international law.

“If Russia’s sovereignty and security interests are exposed to and threatened by continued dangerous attempts of the United States and the West, and if it is judged that we should respond to them with something, we will make a necessary decision,” Song Kim, the U.N. ambassador from North Korea, told the

“Pyongyang and Moscow maintain close contact with each other on mutual security and development of the situation,” he continued.

However, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was forewarned by deputy U.S. Ambassador Robert Woodward: “If DPRK troops invade Ukraine in support of Russia, they will undoubtedly return in body bags.” Therefore, I would counsel Chairman Kim to reconsider his hazardous and careless actions.”