North Korean participation in military exercises with China and Russia would be an “appropriate” response to U.S.-led naval and aerial drills around the Korean Peninsula, according to Russia’s ambassador to the DPRK. 

Alexander Matsegora’s remarks to state-owned Russian news agency TASS come days after the U.S. and ROK wrapped up their large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military exercises, which featured American B-1B bombers and joint precision strike training simulating bombing of North Korean military targets.