A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department expressed concern on Monday about North Korea's plans to deliver more weapons to Russia, following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's commitment to strengthen strategic cooperation with Moscow. The official Korean Central News Agency reported earlier on Monday that this commitment was conveyed by Kim in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia's national holiday. The agency noted that Kim called for "closer strategic cooperation" with Moscow and for strengthening ties with President Putin "in line with the shared aspirations of the peoples of both countries to achieve the noble goal of building a strong state."
The U.S. spokesperson stated that despite Pyongyang's repeated denials of selling arms to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine, the United States has confirmed that North Korea completed an arms delivery to the Kremlin-backed Wagner military group in November 2022. The spokesperson added, "We are concerned that North Korea is planning to deliver more military equipment to Russia," using the official name for North Korea. The United States indicated in March that it has new information suggesting that Russia is seriously seeking additional weapons from North Korea in exchange for food aid.
