Russia launches North Korea-supplied ballistic missiles at Ukraine and stands ready to buy weapons from Iran to expand its arsenal, White House reveals
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According to US intelligence agencies, Russia launched ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea on Ukrainian territory.
It came as Moscow also appeared poised to obtain similar weapons from Iran.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Pyongyang has supplied Russia with ballistic missile launchers as well as several missiles.
He said: 'This is a significant and worrying escalation.'
White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby shows how North Korean ballistic missiles were fired into Ukraine by Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin Russia on September 13, 2023
North Korea fired a hypersonic missile at Pyongyang on January 5, 2022
Russian forces fired at least one of North Korea's ballistic missiles at Ukraine on December 30.
It then launched numerous North Korean ballistic missiles on January 2 as part of a nighttime attack.
The missile fired on Dec. 30 landed harmlessly and “fortunately it only blew a hole in the field,” Kirby said.
He said the impact of the missiles used several days later was still being assessed.
A woman speaks on the phone while standing amid the rubble of a high-rise residential building on January 3, 2024 in Kiev
People stand in the courtyard of a residential apartment building damaged after a Russian missile attack on Kiev on January 2, 2024
The US believes that an agreement between Russia and Iran on supplying further ballistic missiles to Vladimir Putin has not yet been finalized.
But the U.S. is “concerned that Russian negotiations to acquire short-range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively progressing,” Kirby said.
According to US officials, Iran has already supplied Russia with attack drones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on July 19, 2022
A North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile is being prepared for a test launch
The White House says the Kremlin has become dependent on North Korea and Iran for the weapons it needs to continue its war against Ukraine.
In October, US officials said North Korea had delivered more than a thousand containers of military equipment and ammunition to Russia.
North Korea and Iran are themselves largely isolated on the international stage because of their nuclear programs and human rights records.
Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator, traveled to Russia in September to meet Putin and visit key military sites.