A senior Moscow official criticized South Korea for aligning with the West in its “attacks” on Russia in a meeting with Seoul’s ambassador, accusing the ROK of stoking tensions in the DPRK and urging his country to end sanctions against Pyongyang.

Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, Moscow’s top diplomat overseeing Korean Peninsula affairs among other roles, delivered the remarks to Amb. Lee Seok-bae on Thursday, according to the Russian foreign ministry.

Rudenko expressed regret that the ROK leadership is “publicly aligning itself with the anti-Russian attacks” of its Western partners, including the EU, despite Seoul’s “repeated statements” about its