The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, alongside the High Representative of the European Union, have issued a joint statement condemning North Korea’s escalating military collaboration with Russia.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the deepening military ties between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Russian Federation,” the ministers said in the statement released Monday. They specifically criticized North Korea’s reported deployment of troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The ministers warned that DPRK’s export of ballistic missiles, artillery shells, and other military supplies to Russia—alongside Russia’s training of North Korean soldiers—violates United Nations Security Council resolutions. “Direct DPRK support for Russia’s war of aggression marks a dangerous expansion of the conflict,” the statement read, emphasizing risks to European and Indo-Pacific security.
The joint statement also expressed concerns over Russia potentially aiding North Korea’s illegal weapons programs, including weapons of mass destruction, heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
“We urge the DPRK to immediately cease all assistance to Russia, including the withdrawal of its troops,” the ministers said. They also called on Russia to end its war in Ukraine and sever military ties with North Korea.
Reaffirming their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the ministers encouraged the global community to join their condemnation of the DPRK-Russia alliance. They vowed continued coordinated actions, including sanctions, to counter the partnership.
This development comes as international attention remains focused on Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine and North Korea’s controversial weapons activities.
