The White House has said that Russia is turning to other sanctioned regimes in order to enable its war effort

John Kirby, the Coordinator for strategic communications at the White House’s national security council, disclosed in a briefing that North Korea provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and ballistic missiles.

He cited that on December 30, 2023, Russian forces launched at least one of these North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine and on January 2, 2024, Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine, including as part of its overnight aerial attack.

“We’re still assessing the impacts of these additional missiles,” Kirby admitted.

He asserted that Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage due in part to U.S sanctions and export controls, “and they’ve been forced to look to like-minded states for military equipment.”

“As we’ve been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea,” Kirby told reporters at the White House, adding that it was a “significant and concerning escalation” in Pyongyang’s support for Moscow.

Kirby said the range of the North Korean missiles was 900km (560 miles), and that in return for the weapons, Russia was expected to supply fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armoured vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment and other advanced technologies.

“This would have concerning security implications for the Korean peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

Kirby added that Iran had already demonstrated its close-range ballistic missile capabilities to visiting Russian military officials, though no such missile deliveries to Russia had been detected so far.

“The United States is concerned that Russian negotiations to acquire close-range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively advancing,” he said.

“We assess that Russia intends to purchase missile systems from Iran,” he noted.

In response, Kirby said that the U.S would impose sanctions on those involved in facilitating the arms transfer between Russia and North Korea and between Russia and Iran, and take the matter of Russia’s weapons trade with North Korea to the UN as a violation of an international arms embargo.

He added, “We will continue to release information to the public and expose these arms deals, as we are doing today, because we will not allow countries to aid Russia’s war machine in secret.”

He argued that Moscow’s foreign arms acquisition should serve as a reminder to Congress of the costs of its failure to pass a Ukraine arms supply package before Christmas.

“Russia is relying upon its friends to be able to restore its military stockpiles and enable its war against Ukraine. Iran and [North Korea] are standing with Russia. Ukrainians deserve to know that the American people and this government will continue to stand with them.

“So it’s critical that Congress meets this moment and responds by providing Ukraine with what they need to defend themselves. The time for Congress to act is now.”
John Kirby

UK Condemns Russia’s Use Of North Korean Missiles

A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office stressed that the UK strongly condemns Russia’s decision to use ballistic missiles sourced from North Korea in recent attacks against Ukraine.

“We urge North Korea to cease its arms supply to Russia,” the Spokesperson stated.

“Russia is turning to North Korea for its weapons in pursuit of its cynical and ill-conceived military aims in Ukraine. This is symptomatic of its isolation on the world stage and a sign of its desperation.

“Furthermore, this activity is in violation of multiple UN security council resolutions – which Russia supported as a permanent member.”
British Foreign Office Spokesperson

Also, the Spokesperson iterated that any support for North Korea’s own illegal weapons programmes risks significantly undermining the UN’s long-standing commitment to security, and further destabilising the region.

“North Korea is subject to a robust sanctions regime,” the Spokesperson said, adding, “We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”