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North Korea reacts strongly after sending American tanks to Ukraine

North Korea reacts strongly after sending American tanks to Ukraine

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has condemned the United States' decision to supply Ukraine with advanced battle tanks to help fight Russian forces, accusing Washington of crossing a "red line " and the escalation of a "proxy war" created by Moscow.

Friday's comments from Kim Yo Jong underscored North Korea's deepening alignment with Russia over the war in Ukraine, as it also confronts the US and its Asian allies over its growing nuclear weapons and missile program.

"I express serious concern about the escalation of the war situation by the US by providing Ukraine with military equipment for ground offensives," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement, her first public comments in months.

Kim's comments, carried by the Korean Central News Agency, came after the US said it would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, reversing months of indecision from Washington on the issue. The US announcement followed Germany's decision to also give Ukraine 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its stockpile.

Kim said US President Joe Biden's administration was "further crossing the red line" by sending its main tanks to Ukraine and that the decision reflects an "evil intention to realize its hegemonic goal by further expanding the proxy war for the destruction of Russia".

North Korea has blamed the US for the crisis in Ukraine, insisting that the West's "hegemonic policy" forced Russia to take military action to protect its security interests.

North Korea is also the only nation, apart from Russia and Syria, to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, and has also hinted at plans to send workers there to help reconstruction efforts.

The US has accused North Korea of ​​sending large supplies of artillery shells and other munitions to Russia to support its offensive in Ukraine, although North Korea has repeatedly denied the claim.

Pyongyang has also accelerated its weapons development, testing more than 70 missiles in 2022 alone, including potentially nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Source: AL Jazzera

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