By Nicole Gaudiano
The White House has obtained new intelligence that North Korea is increasing its support to Russia in its war against Ukraine, recently providing ballistic missile launchers and several ballistic missiles.
Russia's procurement of these weapons from North Korea is a direct violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. The White House says that Russia is also trying to purchase missile systems from Iran.
The information comes as Russia has launched repeated aerial attacks on Ukraine and as U.S. sanctions and export controls have left Russia "increasingly isolated on the world stage" and forced to look to like-minded states for military equipment, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.
Russia launched at least one of these missiles into Ukraine, where it appeared to land in an open field, on Dec. 30. On Jan. 2, Russia launched multiple North Korean missiles into Ukraine as part of an overnight attack, the impacts of which are still being assessed, he said.
"We expect Russia and North Korea to learn from these launches," he said. "And we anticipate that Russia will use additional North Korean missiles to target Ukraine civilian infrastructure and to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians."
The missiles are capable of ranges of about 550 miles, he said. "This is a significant and concerning escalation in the DPRK support for Russia," he said.
The White House also believes that Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Russia, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment, and more that would have "concerning security implications" for the Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific region, he said.
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The White House has also said, Kirby noted, that Russia is seeking close range ballistic missiles from Iran, though the U.S. does not believe Iran has delivered those missiles at this time.
"However, the United States is concerned that Russian negotiations to acquire close range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively advancing."
Kirby said the U.S. will raise Russia's arms deals with North Korea at the UN Security Council and demand that Russia be held accountable for violating international obligations.
The U.S. will also impose additional sanctions against those working to facilitate arms transfers between Russia and North Korea and Russia and Iran.
"We will continue to release information to the public and expose these arms deals as we are doing today," he said. "Because we will not allow countries to aid Russia's war machine in secret."
He said the U.S. must continue to provide Ukraine air defense capabilities and military equipment and Congress must approve additional aid to Ukraine.
"Iran and the DPRK are standing with Russia," he said. "Ukrainians deserve to know that the American people in 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."