UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says all countries – including Russia – must abide by resolutions that ban arms exports from North Korea.
Reports from a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia have hinted at Pyongyang exchanging ammunition for technology from Moscow — despite UN Security Council resolutions that would ban such a deal.
"Any form of cooperation of any country with North Korea must respect the sanctions regime that was imposed by the Security Council,” Guterres said during a news conference.
Analysts say North Korea may have tens of millions of aging artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could bolster Russian forces in Ukraine.
The United States has accused North Korea of providing Russia with arms, including selling artillery shells to the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Russian and North Korean officials deny such claims.
Agreements to remain 'secret'
Any specifics of a purported deal between Russia and North Korea are unknown. Russian news reports haven't included any details.
“Most of the agreements reached remained and will remain secret for the time being," Alexander Vorontsov of the Russian Academy of Science’s Institute of Asian Studies said.
Vorontsov's comments were reported by Russia’s state Tass agency.
A US State Department official says an arms deal between Russia and North Korea would violate existing sanctions.
Such a deal would trigger a US attempt to identify the individuals involved and the financial mechanisms they used to “at least limit their ability to be effective,”James O’Brien, head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination, said.
'Problematic' move for Russia
O'Brien spoke to The Associated Press shortly after a historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded.
“Russia is scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for help because it’s having trouble sustaining its military," he said.
"Russia is now overtly engaging with a country that the UN has sanctioned. And that’s very problematic for Russia’s global position.”
