WASHINGTON – As the US runs out of money to supply Ukraine with more military aid, Russia has used North Korean missiles to strike Ukrainian targets in recent weeks — and is in talks to get more ballistic weapons from Iran, US officials said Thursday. .
Moscow has fired Pyongyang rockets into Ukraine at least twice in recent weeks as it strengthens ties with another US adversary, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House.
“Due in part to our sanctions and export controls, Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage and they have had to look to like-minded countries for military equipment,” he said. “As we have publicly warned, one of those states is North Korea.”
North Korean missiles can hit targets up to 550 miles away, according to Kirby, who called the attack a “significant and alarming increase in [North Korea’s] support for Russia.”
Russia launched its first North Korean missile on December 30 – a day after Moscow fired 122 missiles and 36 drones in what Ukraine called the largest air strike of the war. At least one landed in an open field in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Kirby said.
Russia has used North Korean missiles to attack Ukrainian targets in recent weeks. ZUMAPRESS.com North Korean missiles can hit targets up to 550 miles away. Reuters
Then on Jan. 2, the Kremlin sent “multiple” North Korean missiles into Ukraine, “including as part of this overnight airstrike” that day, Kirby said. The US is still assessing the impact of the attack.
“We expect Russia and North Korea to learn from this launch, and we expect that Russia will use additional North Korean missiles to target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians,” he said.
In return for its support, Pyongyang asked for Russian military assistance, “including fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials and other advanced technology,” Kirby said.
“This will involve security implications for the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the White House’s daily press briefing. AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Russia is also in talks with Tehran’s mullahs to get short-range ballistic missiles for use against Kyiv. Although the US assesses that Iran has yet to hand over the weapons, negotiations “are actively moving forward,” Kirby said.
Iran has previously sent hundreds of attack drones to Russia, on which Moscow relies heavily on its own dwindling stockpile. Although Iran has yet to deliver a missile, Russia has been looking for one since at least last November.
Recent interactions between the two countries have suggested they are close to sealing a deal. For example, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps in mid-December “deployed ballistic missiles and missile support systems to a training area inside Iran for display to the visiting Russian delegation,” Kirby said.
Iran has previously sent hundreds of attack drones to Russia. ZUMAPRESS.com
As Moscow looks to its allies for help, Washington has run out of funds to provide additional military equipment and weapons to Ukraine with Congress now locked in deadlock over an additional funding bill that would provide $61.4 billion for Ukraine in its current form.
“Russia depends on its allies to increase its military stockpile and enable its war against Ukraine,” Kirby said. “Iran and [North Korea] stand with Russia – The people of Ukraine deserve to know that the American people and this government will continue to stand with them.”
The Biden administration has technically approved congressional authorization to send another $4.2 billion worth of military aid from its reserves, but Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday that no funds have been earmarked to actually pay for further aid packages.
“When we go on vacation here, we don’t have extra funds anymore [for DoD stockpiles,]” he said. “So now, I don’t expect anything new [military aid package] announcement in terms of new capabilities, which is why we will continue to work closely with Congress and urge them to pass the addition.”
A bomb squad member works next to part of a Russian missile at an attack site in Ukraine. Reuters
In response to the recent missile launch, Washington plans to raise the issue at the United Nations Security Council to “hold Russia accountable for yet again violating its international obligations,” according to Kirby.
The Biden administration will also impose additional sanctions “on those who work to facilitate arms transfers between Russia and [North Korea] and between Russia and Iran” which “directly violates several UN Security Council resolutions,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
