North Korea will not “tolerate” the European Union’s attempt to “provoke” Pyongyang, the DPRK foreign ministry said, days after Brussels sanctioned a dozen people and entities linked to the Kim Jong Un regime’s nuclear and missile programs.

In a statement on Saturday, the foreign ministry said the EU “should keep in mind that it will only betray its vulnerability as a ‘puppet’ of the U.S.” if it “finds fault with the DPRK over its exercise of right to self-defense.”

“We never tolerate any attempt to provoke the dignity and interests of our state,” the statementadded, calling the new sanctions