State Dept Warns Russia, North Korea Against Arms Negotiations

Washington D.C./06.09.23/Turan:  The United States on Tuesday warned North Korea against an arms supply negotiations with Russia amid its war against Ukraine, saying it will be held accountable if they follow through on a potential deal, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We have not hesitated to take any actions against entities who have taken steps to support Russia’s unjust and unlawful war of aggression in Ukraine,"  State Department Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

Patel acknowledged that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea “are actively advancing” after reports that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un would be meeting in Russia with Vladimir Putin.

“We urge the DPRK to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and to abide by the public commitment that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia," he added.

When asked by TURAN about potential consequences of Rusisan-North Korean deal, Patel said, "the best example that I would offer you that there is a very clear recent track record of is the provision of drones to Russia from Iran. We of course have taken multiple steps to continue to hold not just the Russian Federation but the Iranian regime accountable for this kind of relationship."

The U.S. "will continue to monitor and watch this space very closely and take appropriate steps to support our Ukrainian partners as we need," Patel concluded.

Alex Raufoglu