"We consider this decision an attempt by Pyongyang to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a gross violation of the Ukrainian constitution, the United Nations Charter and the fundamental norms and principles of international law," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday, Sputnik reported.
The Foreign Ministry added that its political and economic contacts with Pyongyang were limited anyway due to sanctions imposed against the Asian nation.
In his own remarks on the recognition, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba attacked Moscow, alleging that Russia had appealed to North Korea to influence its decision.
Earlier in the day, Donetsk People's Republic head Denis Pushilin announced that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had recognized the DPR's statehood. Shortly after, the North Korean Embassy in Moscow confirmed to Sputnik that Pyongyang had recognized the sovereignty of both the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
MP/PR