Ukraine has cut off all existing diplomatic relations with North Korea over Pyongyang’s recognition of two pro-Russian breakaway ‘people’s republics’ in Ukraine’s east.
Kyiv’s decision to cut ties with North Korea on yesterday followed shortly after reports emerged that Pyongyang had recognised the independence of two self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine.
‘We consider this decision as an attempt by Pyongyang to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,’ Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.
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North Korea’s move to officially recognise the two breakaway territories – the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in Ukraine’s Donbas region – makes it only the third country in the world, after Russia and Syria, to do so.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North’s state-run news agency, said foreign minister Choe Son-hui had sent letters to “her counterparts” in the two regions recognising the rebel-held areas.
Choe ‘expressed the will to develop state-to-state relations with those countries in the idea of independence, peace and friendship,’ KCNA reported on Thursday morning.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that earlier, the DPR’s embassy in Moscow posted a photo on its Telegram channel of a ceremony in which North Korea’s ambassador to Moscow, Sin Hong-chol, handed a certificate of recognition to DPR envoy Olga Makeyeva.
Meanwhile, the United States Treasury on Tuesday confirmed that the country has concluded plans to send an additional $1.7 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine to help continue funding the country’s ‘essential services’ as the ongoing war with Russia rages on.
‘This latest contribution of economic assistance for Ukraine is part of President Biden’s commitment to support the Government of Ukraine as it defends Ukraine’s democracy against Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable war,’ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York.
‘This aid will help Ukraine’s democratic government provide essential services for the people of Ukraine.’
The payment, part of the $7.5 billion aid package signed by President Joe Biden in May, is set to be made through the World Bank.