US Ambassador to NATO Julian Smith said North Korea should be a growing concern for NATO, especially as relations between the DPRK and Russia strengthen.
“We are seeing, truly in real time, an expanding relationship between these two countries that we believe is prolonging Russian military aggression in Ukraine,” Smith told reporters at an online briefing.
According to her, the United States has new information that the DPRK recently supplied Russia with even more weapons for use in the war in Ukraine.
“According to our information, the DPRK has supplied Russia with more than a thousand containers of military equipment and ammunition,” Smith said. “We also published images showing the movement of these containers from the DPRK to Russia by ship.”
The diplomat said she has no doubt that this equipment will be used to attack Ukrainians.
“And by the way, we are also increasingly concerned that Russia itself is providing assistance to the DPRK,” Smith said. “We estimate that in exchange for its support, Pyongyang wants advanced military technology from Russia, perhaps fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, equipment for the production of ballistic missiles or similar materials.”
“Thus, this expanding military partnership between North Korea and Russia fundamentally undermines regional stability. It undermines international stability and, of course, undermines the global non-proliferation regime,” the diplomat concluded.
