Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on North Korea.
Over the past year, we have seen the DPRK providing increasing support to Russia's illegal war against Ukraine, through the supply of munitions, ballistic missiles and now manpower, with the deployment of more than ten thousand DPRK troops to Russia.
The Council should be deeply concerned that DPRK troops are now engaging in direct combat operations against Ukraine, involving themselves directly in the largest war in Europe in a generation. A war the General Assembly has repeatedly described as a violation of international law.
While Russia's growing reliance upon third country support comes as no surprise given its weakened state, and its desperate efforts to steal more Ukrainian territory, this is a grave error by DPRK.
We call upon Pyongyang to withdraw its forces from the theatre of combat and encourage all countries with influence in Pyongyang to use it accordingly.
It should by now be crystal clear to the DPRK, your support for Russia's illegal war in Europe is not in your interests. You must cease this support immediately and return to meaningful engagement with the international community.
Colleagues, deepening military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK has significant implications for security and stability in Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and elsewhere.
We should all be worried about a DPRK with improved military technology and enhanced capacity to export weapons.
Recent reports that Russia intends to transfer MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter aircraft to DPRK further exposes Russia's willingness to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula and undermine regional stability in the Indo-Pacific, all in service of its war against Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Lavrov's declaration that the notion of "denuclearising" North Korea is a "closed issue", is a reckless departure from the agreed principle of complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament and undermines the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
We call on Russia, an NPT depositary state, to align their words and actions with their stated commitment to global nuclear non-proliferation principles.
We will continue to impose costs on Russia and DPRK for this dangerous expansion of the war.
If Putin was truly interested in peace, he could end this war today by ceasing his deployment of DPRK troops on the front-line and ending his country's aggression against Ukraine.
