In the final days of last year, Russia escalated its attacks against Ukraine. As the aerial strikes continued into the new year, the Russian military introduced a new component: missiles manufactured in the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, or North Korea. “Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage, and they’ve been forced to look to likeminded states for military equipment. As we’ve been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea,” said United Sates National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby.
“On the 30th of December 2023, Russian forces launched at least one of these North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine. This missile appears to have landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region,” he said.
“And on January 2nd, Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine, including as part of its overnight aerial attack. We’re still assessing the impacts of these additional missiles.”
Noting that this is a “significant and concerning escalation,” Mr. Kirby said that these actions “would have concerning security implications … for the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region.”
“In return for its support, we assess that Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Russia, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies,” he said.
In response to Russia’s acquisition of arms from third-party actors, which also include Iran, in violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, the United States, along with its partners and allies, is prepared to take a number of steps.
“First … we will demand that Russia be held accountable for yet again violating its international obligations,” said John Kirby.
“Second, we will impose additional sanctions against those working to facilitate arms transfers between Russia and the DPRK and Iran.
“Third, we will continue to release information to the public and expose these arms deals, as we are doing today, because we will not allow countries to aid Russia’s war machine in secret.”
“But here is the bottom line: The most effective response to Russia's horrific violence against the Ukrainian people is to continue to provide Ukraine with vital air defense capabilities and other types of military equipment,” said John Kirby. “Iran and the DPRK are standing with Russia. Ukrainians deserve to know that the American people and this government will continue to stand with them.”
