IP- North Korea has dismissed claims by the United States that it is covertly shipping weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, saying it had never sold arms to Moscow and had no plans to do so.

Iran PressAsia:Tuesday’s statement on the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) comes after White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said last week that the US had information indicating North Korea was supplying Russia with a “significant” number of artillery shells.

He said North Korea was attempting to obscure the shipments by funneling them through countries in the Middle East and North Africa and that Washington was monitoring to see whether the shipments were received.

A North Korean defense ministry official called the allegations a “rumour” and said Pyongyang had “never had ‘arms dealings’ with Russia” and had “no plan to do so in the future.”

“We regard such moves of the US as part of its hostile attempt to tarnish the image of the DPRK in the international arena by invoking the illegal ‘sanctions resolution’ of the (UN Security Council) against the DPRK,” the official said in a statement carried by KCNA, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name.

206

Read More:

Italians protest against sending weapons to Ukraine

North Korea: Missile tests were practice to attack South, US

Russian officials advise civilians to leave Ukraine region