North Korea Denounces NATO Accusations of Aiding Russia's War

North Korea strongly condemned a NATO declaration accusing it of aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine. NATO leaders have accused North Korea and Iran of providing military support to Moscow and pledged to consider NATO membership for Kyiv, while adopting a tougher stance on China's support for Russia.

North Korea issued a vehement condemnation on Saturday against a NATO declaration that accused Pyongyang of assisting Russia's military efforts in Ukraine and criticized U.S. initiatives to strengthen alliances with NATO and Asian countries.

NATO leaders on Wednesday claimed that North Korea and Iran were actively providing military support to Moscow. The summit also reaffirmed a commitment to eventually bring Kyiv into NATO and took a harsher stance on China's backing of Russia. North Korea's state media, KCNA, quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson labeling the 'Washington Summit Declaration' as evidence that the U.S. and NATO pose serious threats to global peace and security.

The statement condemned U.S. efforts to expand military alliances with NATO, South Korea, and Japan, calling it the root cause of regional and international instability. Concurrently, South Korea and the U.S. signed guidelines for an integrated extended deterrence system to counter North Korea's nuclear and military threats. North Korea's defense ministry slammed these guidelines as reckless provocations and warned of severe consequences if their warnings were ignored.

(With inputs from agencies.)