US: Russia Seeks to Increase Military Cooperation by Purchasing Artillery Shells from North Korea

The White House announced on the 3rd (local time) that Russia is seeking to increase military cooperation with North Korea, including purchasing artillery shells from North Korea.

John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications
[Photo by Yonhap News]

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council (NSC), stated this during a phone briefing based on recent visits by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to North Korea and related information from his country.

He said, "Minister Shoigu recently visited North Korea as part of efforts to persuade North Korea to sell ammunition to Russia," adding, "We are concerned that North Korea continues to consider providing military support for Russia's military operations against Ukraine."

Coordinator Kirby referenced the U.S. government's sanctions last March on arms dealer Ashot Mkrtchyan related to arms transactions between North Korea and Russia, pointing out that "arms transactions between North Korea and Russia violate United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions." He emphasized, "The United States will continue to identify sanction violators and block Russia's efforts to procure ammunition from North Korea or other countries."

Regarding the trend of increased military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, Coordinator Kirby said, "This is another example of how desperate Vladimir Putin is," adding, "He is trying to contact North Korea and Iran for support in the war, as well as attempting to engage with China."

Earlier, Minister Shoigu led a Russian military delegation to North Korea from the 25th to the 27th of last month to mark North Korea's so-called 'Victory Day,' which coincides with the Korean War Armistice Day. Subsequently, flight tracking sites confirmed that a Russian Air Force Ilyushin (IL)-62 passenger plane arrived in Pyongyang on the 1st and returned to Moscow the next day, raising speculation that the two sides might be conducting some form of military cooperation.

The White House had previously revealed that North Korea sold infantry rockets and missiles to the Russian private military company Wagner Group in November last year, and that Russia is pursuing plans to secure additional ammunition from North Korea in exchange for providing food aid as of March this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.