White House: White House says Putin and Kim Jong Un traded letters as Russia looks for munitions from North Korea

The White Home on Wednesday stated that it has new intelligence that exhibits Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean chief Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia appears to be like to North Korea for munitions for the battle in Ukraine.

Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby detailed the newest discovering simply weeks after the White Home stated that it had decided that Russian Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu throughout a latest go to to Pyongyang known as on North Korean officers to extend the sale of munitions to Moscow for its Ukraine battle.

Kirby stated that Russia is searching for further artillery shells and different primary materiel to shore up its protection industrial base.

He added that the letters have been “extra on the floor degree” however that Russian and North Korean talks on a weapons sale have been advancing. The leaders exchanged the letters following Shoigu’s go to, he stated.

“Following Shoigu’s go to one other group of Russian officers traveled to Pyongyang for follow-on discussions about potential arms offers between the DPRK and Russia,” Kirby stated, utilizing the acronym for the Democratic Individuals’s Republic of Korea.

Kirby declined to element how U.S. officers had gathered the intelligence. Shortly earlier than the White Home unveiled the brand new details about North Korea and Russia’s weapon talks, North Korea launched a ballistic missile towards its japanese waters, in response to South Korea’s navy. The missile take a look at got here simply hours after the U.S. flew a minimum of one long-range bomber to the Korean Peninsula in a present of drive in opposition to the North. The Biden administration has repeatedly made the case that the Kremlin has change into reliant on North Korea, in addition to Iran, for the arms it must combat its battle in opposition to Ukraine. North Korea and Iran are largely remoted on the worldwide stage for his or her nuclear applications and human rights information.

In March, the White Home stated it had gathered intelligence that confirmed that Russia was seeking to dealer a food-for-arms cope with North Korea, wherein Moscow would supply the North with wanted meals and different commodities in return for munitions from Pyongyang.

Late final 12 months, the White Home stated it had decided that the Wagner Group, a personal Russian navy firm, had taken supply of an arms cargo from North Korea to assist bolster its forces combating in Ukraine on behalf of Russia.

Each North Korea and Russia have beforehand denied the U.S. allegations about weapons. North Korea, nevertheless, has sided with Russia over the battle in Ukraine, insisting that the “hegemonic coverage” of the U.S.-led West has pressured Moscow to take navy motion to guard its safety pursuits.

President Donald Trump traded letters with Kim throughout his administration in an unsuccessful bid to encourage the North Korean chief to desert his nuclear weapons program.