US and allies confront Russia over North Korea arms transfers
North Korea is apparently selling weapons to Russia, according to US and South Korean officials.
The move comes as Russia faces a supply shortage in its war against Ukraine.
The United States, Britain, and France have confronted Russia at the United Nations Security Council about allegations that North Korea is transferring ballistic missiles and ammunition to Russia. The US and South Korea say that North Korea has sent dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 shipping containers of ammunition to Russia in recent months.
The influx of North Korean ammunition has helped shift the war back in Russia's favor, according to Michael Kofman, a military analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses.
"The North Korean artillery is arriving at a very critical moment for Russia," Kofman told Bloomberg News. "It's helping to fill a critical gap in Russia's artillery stocks, which have been depleted by months of fighting in Ukraine."
The sale of weapons to Russia is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit North Korea from exporting weapons. The US and its allies are calling on the Security Council to take action to stop the transfers.
"We urge the DPRK (North Korea) to cease these transfers immediately and fully comply with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.
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