Russia slowly but steadily becoming second North Korea – Ukraine's Foreign Ministry
Photo: Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest threat to strike Ukraine with the Oreshnik missile shows his desire to continue the war. Russia is degrading to the level of North Korea, according to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.
Tykhyi noted that the Kremlin leader issued this threat during his visit to Kazakhstan, demonstrating disrespect for the country and others calling for de-escalation, such as China, Brazil, and other members of the G20.
"We expect these countries to respond to Putin's statement. It is very important that they react to the threat of war expansion," Tykhyi emphasized.
He reminded that previously, only North Korea was a country that regularly threatened other countries with missiles.
"We see how Russia is slowly but steadily becoming the second North Korea, using the argument that it has missiles and is ready to strike. It’s clear that these statements are meant to intimidate Ukraine’s partners, to make them stop supporting Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
At the same time, he pointed out that the timing of the threats was no accident - Putin aims to influence the new US administration and show it is weak. In this situation, rejecting the threats is the only way to respond, as peace through strength is needed.
What Putin said
On November 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to strike Ukraine with a new medium-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik.
He clarified that the Russian General Staff and Ministry of Defense are selecting targets for strikes within Ukrainian territory. The Kremlin leader suggested the possibility of an attack on "decision-making centers" in Kyiv.
