WASHINGTON – As the United States runs out of money to provide more military aid to Ukraine, Russia has used North Korean missiles to attack Ukrainian targets in recent weeks and is in talks to obtain more ballistic weapons from Iran, US officials said Thursday.
Moscow has fired rockets from Pyongyang toward Ukraine at least twice in recent weeks as it strengthens ties with other American adversaries, 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 has been forced to look to like-minded states for military equipment,” he said. “As we have been publicly warning, one of those states is North Korea.”
North Korean missiles can hit targets up to 550 miles away, according to Kirby, who called the attacks “a significant and worrying escalation in the war.” [North Korea’s] I support Russia.”
Russia launched its first North Korean missile on Dec. 30, a day after Moscow fired 122 missiles and 36 drones in what Ukraine called the largest aerial bombardment of the war. At least one landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine, 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 nighttime airstrike” that day, Kirby said. The United States is still assessing the impact of those attacks.
“We hope that Russia and North Korea learn from these launches, and we anticipate that Russia will use additional North Korean missiles to attack Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and kill innocent Ukrainian civilians,” he said.
In exchange for its support, Pyongyang is asking Russia for military assistance, “including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies,” Kirby said.
“This would have worrying implications for the security of the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby speaks during the daily White House press briefing. AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Russia is also in talks with Tehran’s mullahs to obtain short-range ballistic missiles for use against kyiv. While the United States assesses that Iran has not yet handed over those weapons, negotiations “are actively moving forward,” Kirby said.
Iran has previously sent Russia hundreds of attack drones, which Moscow has relied heavily on as its own stockpile dwindles. While Iran has not yet sent missiles, Russia has been searching for them since at least last November.
Recent interactions between the two countries have suggested that they are close to closing a deal. For example, in mid-December the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps “deployed ballistic missiles and missile support systems to a training area inside Iran to display them to a visiting Russian delegation,” Kirby said.
Iran has previously sent hundreds of attack drones to Russia. ZUMAPRESS.com
As Moscow turns to its like-minded friends for help, Washington has run out of funds to provide additional military equipment and weapons to Ukraine and Congress is currently deadlocked over a supplemental funding bill that would provide $61.4 billion. of dollars to Ukraine in its current form.
“Russia depends on its friends to replenish its military arsenals and enable its war against Ukraine,” Kirby said. “Iran and [North Korea] they are on the side of Russia; “Ukrainians deserve to know that the American people and this government will continue to support them.”
Technically, the Biden administration has congressionally approved authority to send another $4.2 billion in military aid from its arsenal, but Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday there are no funds allocated to pay for more relief packages.
“As we approached the holidays here, we had no more replacement funds. [for DoD stockpiles,]” he said. “And for now, I don’t anticipate any new [military aid package] announcements in terms of new capabilities, so we will continue to work closely with Congress and urge them to approve the supplement.”
A bomb squad member works next to part of a Russian missile at the site of an attack in Ukraine. REUTERS
In response to the recent missile launches, Washington plans to raise the issue at the United Nations Security Council to “hold Russia accountable for once again violating its international obligations,” according to Kirby.
The Biden administration will also impose additional sanctions “against those who work to facilitate arms transfers between Russia and [North Korea] and between Russia and Iran” that “directly violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” he added.
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