Recently the U.S., together with G7 member states, the ROK, Australia, New Zealand and EU, cooked up and released a "joint statement" distorting and slandering the essence of the normal cooperative relations between the DPRK and the Russian Federation, getting hell-bent on creating the international atmosphere of sanctions and pressure on the DPRK.

The hostile act of the U.S. and its vassal forces constitutes a serious threat undermining the foundation of international peace and security, which goes beyond a politically-motivated provocation wantonly infringing upon the sovereignty of sovereign states.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry expresses serious concern and protest, denouncing and rejecting in the strongest terms the reckless provocation of the U.S. and its vassal forces, which have turned into a group of gangsters flouting the recognized principle of international law with sovereignty equality and noninterference in others' internal affairs as the core in a bid to secure their illegal hegemony and interests.

The Ukrainian war has been prolonged and the security situation in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region has become more unstable. It is because of the misguided acts of the U.S. and the West persisting in their structure-destructive, hegemony-oriented and adventuristic military policy and policy of exclusive alliance.

It is necessary to take notice of this - who gains profits and who suffers harm due to the "diplomatic legacy" of the outgoing U.S. administration leaving the arena of history in shame.

The hostile forces' madness in response to the DPRK-Russia relations goes to prove that the strengthened cooperative relations between independent sovereign states are very effective in deterring the U.S. and the West's ill-intended extension of influence and ensuring the balance of power indispensable for defending global peace and security.

The U.S. and its allies' threatening acts of causing instability and confusion in different parts of the world to fulfil their illegitimate and outrageous geopolitical ambition only add new justification and motive power to the DPRK's bolstering of its national power to more reliably guarantee the national security and global peace.

If the U.S. persists in resorting to its anachronistic scenario in disregard of the changed reality, it will only bring to it repeated failures in dealing with the DPRK and a new source of trouble.

The improper behavior of some Western countries, accustomed to being satisfied with the incidental interests resulting from their blind kowtowing to the U.S. and devoid of even the elementary courtesy in relations between countries, can never be welcomed by the DPRK.

The DPRK will firmly safeguard its legitimate right as a sovereign state, put no restrictions on exercising it and continue to make crucial efforts to preserve regional and global peace and security.