North Korea says US sending long-range missiles to Ukraine is 'malicious'
North Korean officials said that sending Ukraine long-range missiles would make Kyiv even more reckless to confront Russia.
The White House last week confirmed sending a large number of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, while Russia has used North Korean missiles in its war with Kyiv, Yonhap reported.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), an unnamed director at the military foreign affairs department of North Korea's Defense Ministry issued a statement criticizing Washington as a "harasser" of peace, saying the US had exacerbated the war by supplying weapons such as ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine.
The statement said long-range U.S. missiles would not be able to give Ukraine an advantage on the battlefield, but would only make Kyiv more "reckless" to confront Russia. The North Korean official also said that the US is adopting a policy of "malice", supplying Kyiv with long-range missiles against Russia, in order to increase the scale of the war.
"The United States will not be able to defeat the heroic Russian army and people with any of the latest arms or military support," the official stressed. Yonhap also said North Korea has shown its support for Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Pyongyang and Moscow have also strengthened military ties following a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2023.
Ukraine tries to turn the tables after U.S. resumes aid
Kyiv must address a severe troop shortage and bolster its defenses if it wants to prevail against major Russian attacks after U.S. aid resumes.
U.S. begins arms deliveries in new aid package to Ukraine
Ukraine's severe troop shortage and Russia's firepower make it unlikely that Kyiv will prevail in Russia's imminent attacks, at least until 2025, according to the Washington Post.
Congress' passage of a $95 billion aid package after months of wrangling within Congress is a victory for President Joe Biden, of which about $61 billion is aid money specifically for Ukraine.
This is considered the largest US military aid package to Ukraine since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict (February 2022). It allows the U.S. to buy more equipment made by U.S. companies to ship to the Ukrainian military.
On April 27, a large number of artillery shells, anti-aircraft missiles and armored vehicles began to arrive in Ukraine. U.S. officials have said they hope support from Washington will give Kyiv more time to replenish its own combat forces and bolster its air defenses against expected Russian attacks.
