The White House has said that Russia, which invaded Ukraine, is seeking to acquire additional military supplies from North Korea. Attention was also drawn to the fact that Russia was trying to send a delegation to North Korea and provide food in exchange for military supplies. Reporter Jo Sang-jin reports.
The White House says there is new evidence that Russia is re-establishing contact with North Korea to procure weapons for use in the war in Ukraine.
[녹취: 커비 조정관] “We remain concerned that North Korea will provide further support for Russia’s military operations against Ukraine. And we have new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from North Korea. Now at the center of this effort is an arms dealer named Ashot Mkrtychev.”
In an online briefing on the 30th, White House National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby reminded us that North Korea had delivered rockets and missiles to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine by the Russian mercenary group ‘Wagner’ at the end of last year.
“We are concerned that North Korea will provide additional support to Russia’s military operations against Ukraine,” he said.
“We have received new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from North Korea,” said Slovakian arms dealer Asot Mkrtitsev, whose Treasury Department announced sanctions on the same day for allegedly trying to sell North Korean weapons. for Russia is in the middle event of that effort.
Coordinator Kirby said that Mkrtichev, with the support of Russian government officials, had been trying to broker a secret arms deal between Russia and North Korea.
[녹취: 커비 조정관] “With the support of Russian officials, Mr. Mkrtychev has been trying to broker a secret arms deal between Russia and North Korea. As part of this proposed agreement, Russia would receive over two dozen types of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang. We also understand that Russia is trying to send a delegation to North Korea and Russia is offering food to North Korea in exchange for munitions.”
“As part of this proposed agreement, Russia will receive more than two dozen weapons and munitions from North Korea,” Kirby explained.
“We know that Russia is trying to send a delegation to North Korea and is providing food to North Korea in exchange for munitions,” he added.
In particular, Mkrtichev said that between the end of last year and the beginning of this year, he worked with North Korean officials to secure more than 24 types of weapons and ammunition for Russia.
[녹취: 커비 조정관] “We know that between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, he worked with North Korean officials to try to get over two dozen types of weapons and ammunition for Russia. And this is in exchange for materials ranging from commercial aircraft, raw materials, and goods to be sent to North Korea. We know he worked with a Russian individual to locate commercial aircraft suitable for transport to North Korea. And we know that he provided senior Russian officials with a list of goods that North Korea was interested in acquiring from Russia, through barter and financial payments. “
“We know that Mkrtichev has been working with the Russians to find commercial aircraft suitable for delivery to North Korea,” he said. We also know that we have given you a list of products that we are interested in making,” he added.
“Any arms trade between North Korea and Russia is in direct violation of a series of UN Security Council resolutions,” he said repeatedly.
[녹취: 커비 조정관] “Any arms deal between North Korea and Russia would directly violate a series of UN Security Council resolutions. We have taken note of North Korea’s recent statements that they will not provide or sell weapons to Russia. And we continue to monitor this closely.”
“We noted North Korea’s latest statement that it will not provide or sell weapons to Russia,” Kirby said. “We are monitoring this closely.”
We also reiterated Treasury Department sanctions today against Slovakian arms dealer Mkrtichev, saying we will continue to take further action against individuals involved in the North Korea-Russia arms trade effort.
[녹취: 커비 조정관] “So effective today, it’s cut off from the US financial system. And it will face significant challenges in accessing and abusing the international financial system. Now that his activities have been exposed with this new pariah status also brings risks to those who provide him support, as we will not hesitate to target such malignant actors in the future. Now at the same time, we are going to continue to identify, expose and resist Russia’s attempts to acquire military equipment from North Korea or from any other state willing to support its war in Ukraine. “
“Beginning today, Mkrtichev has been cut off from the US financial system,” Kirby said. “He will face significant challenges in his efforts to access and abuse the international financial system.”
“We will not hesitate to target such malicious actors in the future,” he said, warning that even supporting Mkrtichev’s activities carried risks.
At the same time, he added, “we will continue to identify, expose and respond to Russia’s attempts to acquire military equipment from North Korea or other countries that are ready to assist in the war in Ukraine.”
See also: US Treasury Department punishes Slovakia for arranging arms trade between North Korea and Russia…“They attempted to sell 20 types of weapons”
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control previously put Slovakian national Asott Mkrtichev on the sanctions list for his role in the arms trade between North Korea and Russia.
The Treasury Department said Mkrtichev had been designated a target of sanctions pursuant to US Presidential Executive Order 13551.
Executive Order 13551, issued in August 2010 during the Obama administration, prohibits the import, export and re-export of weapons, related materials and luxury items from North Korea.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a press release that day, “Russia has lost more than 9,000 heavy weapons since the war[Wcráin].” ” he pointed out.
This is Cho Sang-jin from VOA News.**
