By Deutsche Welle
26 Oct 2023, 11:23 AM EDT
South Korea, Japan and the United States sent this Thursday (10/26/2023) a unanimous condemnation of the alleged supply of weapons and ammunition to Russia by North Korea, of which they say they have evidence, and that it would be used in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Those weapons deliveries, several of which we now confirm have been completedwill significantly increase the human cost of Russia’s war of aggression,” the three countries said in a joint statement signed by their Foreign Ministers and released this Thursday by the South Korean Foreign Ministry and published by several news agencies.
The statement comes days after a senior Russian official scoffed at the United States’ claim that Moscow was receiving ammunition from North Korea and said Washington had failed to prove such allegations.
“We will continue collaborating with the international community to unmask Russia’s attempts to acquire material (from North Korea),” the countries said in their statement, reported by the AP news agency.
The United States, South Korea and other countries believe that North Korea seeks to receive sophisticated weapons technologies to enhance its nuclear program in exchange for their supply of munitions. During his visit to Pyongyang last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a reception speech that Russia valued North Korea’s “unwavering” support in its invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov also proposed “regular talks with North Korea and China” to confront what he described as “growing regional military threats led by the United States.”
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