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The US has warned further sanctions against Russia and North Korea as Kim Jong Un travelled in Moscow to visit President Vladimir Putin recently, raising fears about a potential arms deal between the two countries, which has been the talk of the town for quite some time.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, the official spokesperson of the US Department of State, Matthew Miller said, “And then I want to speak specifically for a second about the idea of North Korea providing weapons to Russia, which I spoke to the other day but I don’t think you were here. One, just the overall context, and one thing it’s important to restate again, that a year and a half ago Vladimir Putin launched this war thinking he was going to restore the glory of the Russian empire, failed in all of his maximalist, imperialist aims, and now a year and a half later, after losing tens of thousands of Russian soldiers and spending billions and billions of dollars, here he is begging Kim Jong-un for help.”
“So it says something about the overall context of how this war is going for Russia. And with respect to what any outcomes might be, we have taken a number of entity – actions already to sanction entities that have brokered arms sales between North Korea and Russia, and we won’t hesitate to impose additional actions if appropriate,” he added.
Miller also stated that there is a “possibility” of weapons flowing two ways between Russia and North Korea, as he underlined how war unleashed by Russia President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine resulted in the loss of billions of dollars as well as thousands of Russian soldiers.
“So we’re going to watch very closely what comes out of this. I spoke to this somewhat the other day. We’re looking at – I will say there are two different – there are possibilities of weapons flowing two different ways here, right? So with respect to either direction, we would watch very closely and be concerned, and will not hesitate to impose sanctions if and when it’s appropriate,” Miller said.
He also highlighted how “troubling” it is to see the cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
“I would say it is troubling when you see the Russians talking about cooperating with North Korea on programs that would violate UN Security Council resolutions that Russia itself voted for. Now, we obviously don’t – we haven’t seen the full manifestation of this meeting yet or what the full outcomes of this meeting will be, but when you see the two – when you see Kim Jong-un vowing to provide full, unconditional support for Russia’s so-called “sacred fight” to defend its security interests, which of course is not what it’s doing with respect to the war in Ukraine, that of course is troubling,” Miller told the reporters.
Notably, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un came in Russia on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will be widely observed.
Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia is his first international journey since the COVID-19 epidemic, as North Korea’s borders were sealed during the pandemic.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un informed President Vladimir Putin that Russia will emerge triumphant in the struggle to “punish the evil forces,” adding that he will “always be standing with Russia” in the continuing war in Ukraine, according to CNN.
He congratulated Russia for having “stood up against the hegemonic forces” to defend its sovereignty and security, a veiled allusion to the US and the West, and stated that he had voiced “the full and unconditional support to all that Russia does in response.”
Kim stated that the Russian military and people will carry on the “shining tradition of victory” and prove their worth in the front lines of the “military operation.”
The North Korean leader went on to say that the two leaders held a “in-depth discussion” about the Korean Peninsula’s and Europe’s political and military landscapes.
Kim pledged to usher in “a new era of 100-year friendship” between the two countries and suggested a toast to “the great Russia’s new victory” and Putin’s health. Notably, CNN reports that these remarks come amid suspicions that Russia may enter into a weapons agreement with North Korea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, has stated that the government is considering and discussing military cooperation with North Korea, according to CNN, citing Russian state news agency Russia 1.
Source:In
