North Korea’s Arms Transfer to Russia: Violation of Sanctions and International Law

“We condemn (North Korea) for supplying this military equipment to Russia,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. “We will continue to monitor Russia for additional arms shipments.”

Last week, CBS News cited an unnamed US official as saying that North Korea had begun transferring artillery to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

Last month’s meeting between Kim and Putin has fueled Western fears that Moscow and Pyongyang will ignore sanctions and conclude an arms deal.

North Korea, which the US has previously accused of supplying ammunition to Russia’s Wagner mercenary gang, is a mass-producer of weapons and is known to hold large stockpiles of Soviet-era war material, although their status is unknown.

Russia has increased its production of projectiles this year to a projected 2.5 million, but analysts have suggested that this may not meet its needs on the battlefield. According to Ukrainian data, Russian forces fire about 60,000 shells a day.

Historical allies, Russia and North Korea have been subject to several global sanctions – Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine and Pyongyang for its nuclear weapons tests.

The White House has said that any arms exports from North Korea to Russia “would be in direct violation of several UN Security Council resolutions, including resolutions voted for by Russia itself.”

2023-10-13 17:52:59
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