North Korea recently sent ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia for its use in its war against Ukraine, the White House said Thursday.
“This is a significant and concerning escalation,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, noting the United States would raise the issue with the United Nations Security Council.
Citing newly declassified intelligence, Kirby said Russian forces launched at least one of the North Korean-supplied missiles on December 30, which landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.
He said Russia then fired “multiple” ballistic missiles into Ukraine as part of a mass aerial attack on Tuesday, one of the largest assaults of the war that is now nearing the two-year mark.
Kirby said the U.S. and its allies would raise the arms shipment before the U.N. Security Council because it represents a breach of U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
Russia also intends to purchase missiles from its ally Iran, he said.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have previously denied the weapons allegations.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement, the U.S. believes North Korea sent Russia “several dozen ballistic missiles” and launched many of them on Tuesday.
“We expect Russia will use additional missiles from [North Korea] to destroy more of Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and kill Ukrainian civilians,” she said.
“We are concerned about the security implications this cooperation has on global peace and security,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
VOA
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