The United States is seeking to picture the productive dialogue between Russia and North Korea as a factor of instability in the world, which is repulsing, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said, commenting on US official’s remarks about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia.
“The U.S. has no right to lecture us how to live. Russia being a responsible nuclear power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council can independently decide who to cooperate with. The attempts to label the productive and mutually beneficial Russian-North Korean dialogue as a driver of instability are not only surprising but also repulsive,” he was quoted as saying on the Russian embassy’s Telegram channel.
“How should we then regard the White House’s efforts to build up coalitions in Asia Pacific and expand military drills near the Korean Peninsula, with deploying U.S. strategic assets?” he noted.
He pointed to the United States’ janus-faced approach to Russia’s relations with North Korea. “Washington’s hypocrisy is no longer a surprise. The U.S. is OK with delivering weapons to the ‘hot spot.’ At the same time, following the Administration’s logics, Russia’s military and technical cooperation with foreign countries is unlawful. Our partners are once again being threatened with sanctions. And Moscow, presumably, will also suffer consequences. Local Russophobes, however, are unlikely to find new ways to infringe on our interests, taking into consideration the uncountable restrictions already imposed on Russia.”
“It is high time for Washington to throw its economic sanctions into the landfill and give a thought on how to build an equal relationship with other states on the basis of the principle of indivisible security. Maintaining unipolar dominance beloved by American officials is no longer possible,” he stressed.
The North Korean leader arrived in Russia on an official visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia is the first state Kim is visiting after the coronavirus pandemic when his country’s borders were strictly closed. Kim’s previous visit to Russia was held from April 24 through 26, 2019. He arrived in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok onboard his personal train. His talks with Putin in Vladivostok consituted their first-ever personal meeting.
Source: Agencies
