A top White House official has declared that North Korea would pay ‘a price’ if it ever goes ahead to sell weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, after Washington had earlier raised the alarm that Pyongyang was in talks with Moscow about a potential arms deal.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that the United States believes the negotiations between North Korea and Russia are “actively advancing”.
“Providing weapons to Russia for use on the battlefield to attack grain silos and the heating infrastructure of major cities as we head into winter, to try to conquer territory that belongs to a modern sovereign nation – this is not going to reflect well on North Korea, and they will pay a price for this in the international community,” Sullivan told reporters.
His comments come after another official in US President Joe Biden’s administration said on Monday that Washington expected North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin has refused to comment on the US claims, stressing that it has ‘nothing to say’ about reports of potential direct talks between the two leaders.
There have been public signs of closer ties between Russia and North Korea in recent weeks.
Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea and met with Kim in July. Kim and Putin also exchanged letters last month vowing to bolster relations between their two countries.
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On Tuesday, US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel also warned North Korea against providing weapons to Russia, telling reporters that Moscow’s turn to Pyongyang for arms shows the effectiveness of US sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.
“Russia has been forced to search desperately around the world for weapons it can use in its war in Ukraine because of our sanctions and export controls and the effects that those have had,” Patel said.
Asked what potential consequences Washington would impose on Pyongyang should weapons be sent to Moscow, Patel did not provide details but said the US would “take appropriate steps as necessary” in coordination with its partners.
Last year, the US accused North Korea of covertly shipping artillery shells to Russia – an allegation that was denied by both Moscow and Pyongyang.
On Tuesday, Sullivan said the Biden administration will continue to push to “dissuade the North Koreans” from providing Russia with weapons.
‘We will continue to call on North Korea to abide by its public commitments not to supply weapons to Russia that will end up killing Ukrainians,’ he said.
Pavel Felgenhauer, a defence and military analyst, told reporters on Tuesday that it is “possible” that Putin could meet with Kim next week when he travels to Vladivostok, a city in the far east of Russia, for an economic forum.