Russia arms talks with North Korea ‘actively advancing’, says White House
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Ukrainian police officers examining fallen debris on Aug 30 after Russian drone and missile attacks on a residential area of Kyiv.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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WASHINGTON – Russia is in secret, active talks with North Korea to acquire a range of munitions and supplies for Moscow’s war on Ukraine,
“Arms negotiations between Russia and the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) are actively advancing,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said, adding that a key focus of the talks was artillery ammunition for Moscow’s forces.
Mr Kirby noted that despite its denials, North Korea supplied infantry rockets and missiles to Russia
He said that recently, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had travelled to
“Since that visit, President (Vladimir) Putin and the leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, have exchanged letters pledging to increase their bilateral cooperation,” Mr Kirby told reporters.
At the United Nations, the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea and Japan said in a joint statement that any such deal would violate UN Security Council resolutions forbidding arms deals with North Korea – resolutions that Moscow itself had endorsed.
They said that following Mr Shoigu’s visit to Pyongyang, another group of Russian officials travelled to North Korea
“Russia is negotiating potential deals for significant quantities and multiple types of munitions from the DPRK to be used against Ukraine,” they said.
“These potential deals could also include the provision of raw materials that would assist Russia’s defence industrial base,” they said.
“Any such arm deals would be a serious violation of resolutions the Security Council adopted unanimously after the DPRK’s past nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches,” they said. AFP
