On Thursday, the White House said it has new evidence that Moscow is looking again to Pyongyang for weapons to fuel the war in Ukraine, this time in a deal that Russia would provide North Korea with needed food and other commodities in return.
It’s the latest accusation that Russia, desperate for weaponry and restricted by sanctions and export controls, is turning to rogue nations to help it continue to prosecute the 13-month-old war.
As part of this proposed deal, Russia would receive over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang. We also understand that Russia is seeking to send a delegation to North Korea and that Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange for munitions.”
John Kirby-White House National Security Council spokesman said
The administration has earlier declassified intelligence to show evidence that Iran sold hundreds of attack drones to Russia over the summer and that the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, has carried delivery of arms from North Korea to support and bolster its forces as they fight side-by-side with Russian troops in Ukraine.
Experts consider the food situation in North Korea to be the worst it has been under Kim Jong Un’s 11-year rule, but they still say they see no indications of imminent famine or mass deaths. Kim pledged to heighten state control over agriculture and take a spate of other steps to improve grain production, North Korean state media reported earlier this month.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that US intelligence suggested China was considering supplying arms and ammunition to Russia, though White House officials have said they have yet to see evidence of China following through with weapons delivery.
The publicizing of Russia’s actions to get weapons from North Korea is just the latest example of the Biden administration loosening regulations on intelligence results and making them public throughout the grinding war in Ukraine.
The administration has said it has aimed to disseminate the intelligence conclusions so supporters and the public remain clear-eyed about Moscow’s plan and Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks twice about his actions.
Earlier Thursday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against a Slovakian national, Ashot Mkrtychev, alleging he attempted to facilitate arms deals between Russia and North Korea.
Between the end of 2022 and early 2023, Treasury said Mkrtychev worked with North Korean officials to receive over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for commercial aircraft, raw materials and commodities to be sent to North Korea.
Mkrtychev worked with a Russian citizen to find commercial aircraft to deliver goods to North Korea in exchange.
Russia has lost over 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment since the start of the war, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has become increasingly desperate to replace them. Schemes like the arms deal pursued by this individual show that Putin is turning to suppliers of last resort like Iran and the DPRK.”
Janet Yellen-Treasury Secretary said in a statement.
