US condemns Russia-North Korea military cooperation

The US State Department has condemned Russia’s military cooperation with North Korea, stating that the Kremlin’s alleged training of North Korean soldiers violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and warning that Washington could impose sanctions whenever appropriate.

Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller made the remarks during a press briefing on 29 October,  stressing that any form of military collaboration between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (‘DPRK’), particularly regarding ballistic missiles or arms, directly breaches international sanctions.

‘We believe that Russia’s training of DPRK soldiers involving arms or related material is a direct violation of Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, and 2270,’ he said. 

Reports of deepening ties between Russia and North Korea have drawn international scrutiny, especially over Russia allegedly training North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby had earlier said the US believes that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers travelled to Russia in October. ‘We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability,’ he said.

In addition to UN violations, Miller also highlighted the role of the recently established Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (‘MSMT’), a US-led mechanism tasked with tracking and reporting on the implementation of sanctions against North Korea that was created after Russia vetoed continued UN monitoring earlier this year.

‘It’s not a sanctions-imposing mechanism itself, but of course we do maintain the ability to impose sanctions on both Russia and North Korea. We’ve shown we’re willing to use those abilities and authorities in the past, and we will continue to do so when appropriate,’ he said.

https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-october-29-2024/