Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles on Tuesday as part of an overnight attack, and the US was assessing the impact, he said. The missiles have a range of about 885km (550 miles).
US intelligence officials believe that North Korea, in return for its arms support, wants Russia to provide it with aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armoured vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment and other advanced technologies.
Kirby said that a Russia-Iran deal had not been completed but that the US “is concerned that Russia’s negotiations to acquire close range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively advancing”.
Putin offers citizenship to foreigners who fight for Russia
Putin offers citizenship to foreigners who fight for Russia
The US intelligence finding supports South Korea’s assessment that North Korea has increased its cooperation with Moscow.
South Korea’s military said in November that it suspected North Korea had sent an unspecified number of short-range ballistic missiles, anti-tank missiles and portable anti-air missiles to Russia, in addition to rifles, rocket launchers, mortars and shells.
The Biden administration has repeatedly sought to make the case that the Kremlin has become reliant on North Korea, as well as Iran, for the arms it needs to fight its war against Ukraine and has disclosed intelligence findings that it says show as much.
North Korea and Iran are largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programmes and human rights records.
The White House in October said that North Korea delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.
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Kim pledges support to Putin over ‘sacred’ war with the West
Kim pledges support to Putin over ‘sacred’ war with the West
While the White House would not say specifically what type of missiles Pyongyang had sent to Russia, Kirby released a graphic that appeared to show KN-23 and KN-25 missiles.
Such missiles are new, solid-propellant SRBMs that North Korea began testing in 2019, said Ankit Panda, of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“This is the first known combat use of these North Korean missiles,” he said.
Ukraine, Russia exchange hundreds of POWs in biggest swap of war
Ukraine, Russia exchange hundreds of POWs in biggest swap of war
Joost Oliemans, a Dutch researcher and expert on North Korea’s military, said images from Ukrainian social media accounts clearly show fragments of the ring housing the control vanes that are characteristic to North Korea’s Hwasong-11 family of missiles, which includes the KN-23 and KN-25.
Relations between Russia and North Korea go back to the 1948 foundation of North Korea. Soviet officials installed a young and ambitious nationalist, Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un, as the country’s first ruler.
Soviet aid shipments were crucial in keeping North Korea’s economy afloat for decades before the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Kim travelled to Russia in September to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites.
The White House has said Russia has received hundreds of one-way attack drones, as well as drone production-related equipment, from Iran.
The Democratic administration also has accused Tehran of providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow.
Kirby said the US would raise its concerns about the arms arrangement findings at the UN Security Council and would look to impose additional sanctions against North Korean and Iranian individuals and entities facilitating weapons transfers with Russia.
Kyiv says the latest attacks underline the need for Western allies to speed up delivery of air defence equipment, combat drones and long-range missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed in his New Year’s address last week to wreak “wrath” against Russian forces in 2024, warning Kyiv had upped domestic production.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters