By Josh Smith
SEOUL (Reuters) -North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;on Sunday criticized for a second day a&nbsp;U.S. decision to send&nbsp;tanks&nbsp;to&nbsp;Ukraine, calling it an "unethical crime" aimed at perpetuating an&nbsp;unstable international situation.
Washington's allegations that&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;has provided arms to Russia are a "groundless rumor" to justify its own military aid to&nbsp;Ukraine, Kwon Chung-keun, director of&nbsp;U.S. affairs at&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA.
"The&nbsp;U.S. is working hard to supply such offensive weapons as (main battle&nbsp;tanks) to&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;at any cost in disregard of the just concern and criticism of the international community," the statement said. "This is an unethical crime aimed at keeping the international situation&nbsp;unstable."
The baseless claims of&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea-Russia arms deals are a "grave provocation that can never be allowed" and perpetuating them will bring a "really undesirable result", Kwon added.
On Saturday&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, denounced&nbsp;U.S.&nbsp;pledges of battle&nbsp;tanks&nbsp;to&nbsp;Ukraine, claiming Washington was "further crossing the red line" to win hegemony by proxy war, KCNA reported.
Nuclear-armed&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;launched an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the&nbsp;U.S. mainland.&nbsp;U.S. and South&nbsp;Korean officials have also warned the&nbsp;North&nbsp;could be preparing for its first test of a nuclear device since 2017.
The White House said in December that&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;completed an initial arms delivery of infantry rockets and missiles to a private Russian military company, the Wagner Group, to shore up Russian forces in&nbsp;Ukraine.
(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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North Korea calls U.S. pledge of tanks to Ukraine 'unethical crime'