North Korea Denies Sending Weapons To Russia, Warns US For 'Reckless Remarks'

North Korea denied that it is supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, terming the allegations as "rumors" spread by "hostile forces" aimed at tarnishing the country's image.

"We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them," a senior official at the North's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement carried by its official Korean Central News Agency. "We warn the U.S. to stop making reckless remarks."

The statement from Pyongyang comes after Washington, earlier this month, declassified an intelligence assessment claiming the Russian defense ministry was in the process of buying millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea after facing a shortage of military equipment in Ukraine,

The report, based on intelligence findings, said Moscow's intention to purchase shells and rockets from North Korea was due to global sanctions that had hampered its ability to maintain its military stockpile, forcing the country to turn to pariah states like Iran and North Korea.

The declassified U.S. intelligence report did not contain details about the exact weaponry timing or size of the shipment Russia expects from North Korea. However, it said the shipment was expected to include short-range rockets and artillery shells, with additional equipment purchases in the future.

White House National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, had earlier this month said Russia could potentially purchase millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, with British intelligence also confirming that Russia was "almost certainly increasingly sourcing weaponry" from Iran and North Korea.

Under pressure from the U.S., most countries are "treading carefully" in dealing with Russia, and while Kyiv continues to receive billions of dollars worth of western military equipment, Moscow is forced to rely on its own resources.

According to the New York Times report, Russian efforts to buy even basic equipment such as rockets and artillery shells from North Korea means that Moscow's supply problems are likely deeper than just high-end components for cutting-edge tanks or precision missiles.

The North Korean denial comes weeks after Moscow described the US intelligence finding as "fake".

The U.N. Security Council sanctions ban North Korea from exporting or importing weapons. Pyongyang has said that it does not accept what it calls "unlawful" sanctions, saying that it has the right to export and import military equipment as a "lawful," "sovereign state". However, North Korea added that they have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and do not plan to do so.

North Korea has been seeking to strengthen its relations with Russia ever since the West sanctions Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine. It is one of the few countries that have officially backed the Russian invasion.

Pyongyang justifies Russia's military action and blames the U.S. for the crisis in Ukraine, calling it the West's "hegemonic policy." North Korea has also recognized the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as an independent.