[ad_1]
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that the United States has information that North Korea is secretly supplying Russia with a “large amount” of artillery shells to use in its war in Ukraine.
Kirby said during a virtual briefing that North Korea was trying to cover up the shipments by concentrating them in the Middle East and North African countries.
“We have indications that North Korea is secretly supplying and we will be watching closely to see if we receive the shipment,” Kirby said, adding that Washington would consult with the United Nations on accountability for the shipment.
“We do know where they’re going to divert these shells,” Kirby said, declining to provide further details as the U.S. is weighing its possible options.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a routine news briefing that sanctions were an option, just as Iran provided arms to Russia.
Also read: Russia says current mission is to avoid nuclear war, slams Western ‘provocation’
“Just as we are using every tool and will use every tool against Iran’s arms supply to Russia, we will do the same when North Korea arms Russia,” he said.
“There are existing sanctions on the books. We will look at other tools and authorities that may be needed to deal with this activity,” he said.
The United States imposed sanctions in September on an Iranian company accused of coordinating military flights to transport Iranian drones to Russia, as well as three other companies allegedly involved in the production of Iranian drones.
Kirby said the number of shells was not insignificant, but unlikely to change the momentum or outcome of the war. For Ukrainians, however, they could still be deadly, he said.
“And it certainly doesn’t change our calculations … or with our many allies and partners about the various capabilities that we will continue to provide Ukrainians,” he said.
The North Korean shipments show not only Pyongyang’s willingness to support Russia, but also that U.S.-led sanctions and export controls have led to arms shortages in Moscow, Kirby said.
North Korea said in September that it had never provided Russia with weapons or ammunition and had no plans to do so, while warning the United States to “shut up” and stop spreading rumors aimed at “smearing” the country’s image.
Also read: Experts note ‘black hand’ Vladimir Putin’s poor health: report
Referring to North Korea’s missile launches on Wednesday, Kirby said they did not pose a direct threat to U.S. personnel in the region, adding that the United States would ensure it had the ability to defend its allies there.
North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea on Wednesday, including one that landed less than 60 kilometers (40 miles) off the South Korean coast, in what South Korean President Yoon Se-yeol described as a “territorial encroachment.”
It was the first time a ballistic missile had landed near South Korean waters since the peninsula was divided in 1945, and North Korea’s largest single-day missile launch. South Korea issued a rare airstrike warning and fired its own missiles in response.
[ad_2]
Source link