White House National Security Council spokesperson stated that the United States believes Kim Jong Un's objective is to acquire advanced Russian weapons technology in exchange for munitions, enhancing North Korea's nuclear program.
On Friday, the White House announced that North Korea has supplied more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia for its ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Speculation about North Korea potentially replenishing Russia's depleted munition reserves from the prolonged war in Ukraine arose last month when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin and inspect key military facilities.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, stated that the United States believes Kim's objective is to acquire advanced Russian weapons technology in exchange for the munitions, enhancing North Korea's nuclear program.
The White House also shared imagery depicting the loading of these containers onto a Russian-flagged vessel before being transported by train to southwestern Russia. According to the White House, the containers were transported between September 7 and October 1, covering the route from Najin, North Korea, to Dunay, Russia.
The U.S. has previously accused North Korea of supplying ammunition, artillery shells, and rockets to Russia.
Kim last month, after he had met with Putin, called for an exponential increase in production of nuclear weapons and for his country to play a larger role in a coalition of nations confronting the United States in a “new Cold War,” North Korean state media said.
The Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during a two-day session of the country's rubber-stamp parliament, which amended the constitution to include his policy of expanding the country's nuclear weapons program.
In Russia, Kim deepened “comradely fellowship and friendly ties” with Putin, North Korean state media reported.
During Kim's six-day trip to Russia, his longest foreign travel as a leader, the two countries said they discussed boosting their defense ties but didn't disclose any specific steps. Foreign experts speculate the two countries, both locked in confrontations with the West, were pushing to reach arms transfer deals in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.