As the US runs out of money to supply Ukraine with more military aid, Russia has used North Korean missiles to attack Ukrainian targets in recent weeks and has sought Iran’s help.
As the US runs out of money to supply Ukraine with more military aid, Russia has used North Korean missiles to attack Ukrainian targets in recent weeks — and is in talks to secure more ballistic weaponry from Iran, US officials said Thursday.
Moscow has launched Pyongyang’s rockets into Ukraine at least twice in recent weeks as it strengthens ties with other US 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 they’ve been forced to look to like-minded states for military equipment,” he said. “As we’ve been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea.”
The North Korean missiles can reach targets up to 550 miles away, according to Kirby, who called the attacks “a significant and concerning escalation in [North Korea’s] support for 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 biggest aerial barrage of the war. At least one landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine, Kirby said.
Then on Jan. 2, the Kremlin sent “multiple” North Korean missiles into Ukraine, “including as part of this overnight aerial attack” that day, Kirby said.
