US Issues Repeated 'Consequences' Warning: Will Respond if North Korea and Russia Engage in Arms Trade

On the 13th (local time), the White House warned that if North Korea provides weapons to Russia as a result of the North Korea-Russia summit, "there will clearly be repercussions from the United States and the international community."

According to the White House, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council (NSC), said at a briefing that day, "We are clearly concerned about the rapidly increasing military relationship between North Korea and Russia." Kirby urged, "We call on North Korea to keep its public commitment not to support Russia in the Ukraine war," adding, "If they decide to pursue arms transactions, we will respond appropriately."

Earlier, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held the North Korea-Russia summit at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia. Although specific results of the summit have not yet been disclosed, international tensions are rising as there are possibilities that Russia may secure a large amount of North Korean weapons in exchange for transferring ballistic missile technology.

Considering that no official announcement regarding the summit results has been made by either North Korea or Russia, Kirby took a cautious stance on the content of the talks, saying, "We need to closely monitor," and "I do not want to speculate." He pointed out, "It is uncertain what each side wants and what they will gain," adding, "The two countries do not cooperate well with other nations and lack trust and confidence in each other."

Tony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State
Photo by AP Yonhap News

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also warned in a podcast interview that day, "The cooperation between North Korea and Russia clearly violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," and "They will be held accountable and pay the appropriate price." When asked how concerned he was about the relationship between the two countries following the North Korea-Russia summit, he replied, "This is evidence that Russia is becoming increasingly desperate due to Ukraine's counteroffensive." This indicates that sanctions against Russia are working effectively.

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, also said at a briefing that if arms support materializes, the U.S. response could target both North Korea and Russia, stating, "We will not hesitate to impose sanctions." He condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launch just before the North Korea-Russia summit and added, "The U.S. defense commitments to South Korea and Japan are ironclad."

According to Interfax news agency, Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, confirmed in response to a question about whether plans for North Korean troop deployment were discussed at the North Korea-Russia summit, "No." He said that Chairman Kim showed interest in all areas where cooperation with Russia is possible, including health, education, and humanitarian fields, and that President Putin explained Russia's transportation systems such as airports and ports. He also added that there are currently no plans for President Putin to visit North Korea.

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