Russia Denies North Korea Arms Trade Allegations, Says "Must Understand Positions of Israel-Palestine War Parties"

China and Russia Leaders to Discuss Israel-Palestine War

Russia dismissed Western claims that North Korea has started supplying weapons to Russia, saying there is "no evidence," TASS reported on the 17th (local time).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said in Beijing, China, on the same day, "Both British intelligence and American intelligence are the same. They never provide evidence."

This was in response to the White House announcement that North Korea recently provided more than 1,000 containers worth of military equipment and ammunition to Russia. The British think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) also raised suspicions of arms deals between Russia and North Korea based on satellite image analysis.

Peskov said, "You would know that when President Putin met with North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un last month at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, this (arms deal) was one of the main topics," adding that there was much attention on whether arms deals took place during the North Korea-Russia summit. He emphasized that Russia and North Korea, as close neighbors, will develop relations in all fields, stating, "This is our sovereignty, and no one has the right to interfere."

Peskov arrived in Beijing, China, on the 17th to attend the 3rd Belt and Road (land and maritime Silk Road) Summit Forum held on the 17th and 18th. President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to hold talks with the leaders of Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Laos, and Pakistan on the same day, and on the 18th, he plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Summit Forum.

Peskov said that there is a high possibility that President Putin and President Xi will discuss the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas during their summit, but added that Putin has not yet formulated a peace plan to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. He added, "To create a plan, it is necessary to discuss with everyone and understand the positions of the parties involved."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.