Feb 23, Kathmandu- North Korea's state media has accused NATO of the crisis as it marks the first year of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling the US involvement a "sign of self-destruction".

In remarks carried by a state news agency on Thursday, February 24, on the eve of the anniversary, international affairs critic Kim Yoo-chul said the conflict in Ukraine was the "inevitable product of coercion and bribery" by the United States and its allies, according to an international news agency.

The Ukraine war, Europe's largest land conflict since World War II, has displaced millions of people. Ukrainian cities and villages have been destroyed. And, it has hindered the global economy.

North Korea has maintained close ties with Russia since the start of the war. And, it has been supporting Moscow in public statements and in the United Nations.

"If Ukraine had not blindly participated in the US policy of anti-Russian confrontation and promoted reconciliation and unity with its neighbors, the situation would not have reached this point. The situation would not have been as bad as it is now,” Kim wrote.

"The current situation in Ukraine proves once again that there can be no peace in the world until the end of the United States' policy of force, tyranny, and greedy aggression."

The United States has accused North Korea of supplying Russia with weapons, which both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied.