North Korea And Russia Blame The US For Increasing Tensions In The Korean Peninsula

JAKARTA - North Korea and Russia blame the United States and its allies as the root cause of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere regarding one of the shipments of North Korean troops to Russia.

"Both parties expressed a common understanding that the root cause of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and other parts of the world lies in the provocation of the US and its subordinate states," said a press statement quoted by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Saturday (2/11).

KCNA reported North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed similar views and affirmed their commitment to implementing a new bilateral agreement during a strategic dialogue held in Moscow on Friday (local time).

"The exchange of views on major international issues confirms that both parties agreed in their assessment of the current international situation," KCNA added.

Choe has been in Russia since Monday (28/10). His visit comes as tensions escalate with the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to Russia for use in the fight against Ukraine.

Choe's visit coincided with the launch of the Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by North Korea on Thursday (31/8), the launch of the first test that took place just days before the US presidential election.

The US said about 10,000 North Korean troops were in Russia with 8,000 of them being sent to the front line near Ukraine and were expected to join the fighting soon.

However, there was no mention of the shipment of North Korean troops in the statement.

North Korea has strengthened relations with Russia by claiming to have improved relations with new agreements accompanied by provisions to commit to providing military assistance to each other in the event of an attack on one of the parties.

Dalam dialog tersebut, Lavrov menyatakan dukungan penuh Rusia terhadap langkah-langkah yang diambil Korea Utara untuk mengatasi kebijakan agresif AS dan sekuatnya, menurut KCNA, yang tampaknya merujuk pada dukungan Rusia terhadap peluncuran ICBM terbaru Korea Utara.

Choe and Lavrov also held in-depth discussions on practical issues to further improve their relationship, including implementing a deal from a signed agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during their summit last June.