America Vows North Korea Will Pay the Price for Supporting Russia

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced on Tuesday that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are underway and warned leader Kim Jong Un that his country will pay a price for supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine. Sullivan told reporters at the White House that providing arms to Russia "will not yield positive returns for North Korea, and they will pay a price for this in the international community." Earlier, U.S. officials stated that Kim plans to travel to Russia this month to meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss supplying Moscow with weapons. In response to a question about whether he could confirm these talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Tuesday, "I cannot (respond). There is nothing to say." Sullivan stated that Kim expects discussions on arms to continue, potentially at the leader level and "perhaps even in face-to-face meetings." He added, "We have continued to pressure the Russian defense industrial base," and Moscow is now "looking for any source it can find" for sales like ammunition. He continued, "We will keep urging North Korea to adhere to its stated commitments that prevent it from supplying Russia with weapons that ultimately lead to the killing of Ukrainians." Moscow and Pyongyang have pledged to strengthen defense cooperation between them.