Japan: Russia's military cooperation with North Korea is a clear violation of UNSC resolutions

A high-level session on "Ukraine" was held at the UNSC, chaired by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Deputy Minister Fujii stated that 1,000 days have passed since the start of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, a sovereign nation, and expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people who have been defending their country during this time.

Expressing their horror at the intense and large-scale missile attack carried out against Ukraine last week, which resulted in the loss of civilian lives, Fujii said, "We will continue to condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's illegal aggression, which, in addition to destroying critical civilian infrastructure, has caused unimaginable human rights violations and abuses on Ukrainian territory."

Emphasizing that Russia must "immediately end this aggression, withdraw from Ukraine, and respect Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," Fujii stated that Moscow is continuing its aggression against Ukraine not only with its own weapons but also with weapons supplied by North Korea.

Stating that there is clear evidence that Russia is violating the relevant UNSC resolutions that it itself accepted, and that deception must never be tolerated in this council, Fujii said, "The situation has now taken on another dimension due to the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia and their current involvement in the conflict against Ukraine."

Emphasizing that North Korea's participation in Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a clear violation of international law, including the UN Charter, Fujii stated that North Korea's direct support to Russia on this matter has serious consequences for peace and security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Fujii stated that they condemn the "illegal, unjust, and unacceptable" military cooperation between Russia and North Korea in the strongest possible terms, and reiterated their deep concern over the military cooperation between Iran and Russia.

Pointing out that the international community should refrain from directly or indirectly supporting Russia's aggression, Fujii said, "We must protect the international order based on the rule of law and never tolerate the violation of international law."