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U.S.: Russia seeking weapons from North Korea in exchange for food

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2019. The United States on Thursday sanctioned a Slovakian man on accusations of being a middle man in arms deals from North Korea to Russia. File Photo by KCNA/UPI
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2019. The United States on Thursday sanctioned a Slovakian man on accusations of being a middle man in arms deals from North Korea to Russia. File Photo by KCNA/UPI | License Photo

March 31 (UPI) -- Russia is actively looking to acquire weapons and munitions from North Korea in exchange for food, a U.S. National Security Council official said.

The potential arrangement is being brokered by a Slovakian arms dealer, NSC spokesman John Kirby said in a virtual briefing with reporters Thursday.

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"We remain concerned that North Korea will provide further support [of] Russia's military operations against Ukraine and we have new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from North Korea," Kirby said.

"We also understand that Russia is seeking to send a delegation to North Korea and that Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange for munitions," he added.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday that it has imposed sanctions on the Slovakian arms dealer, identified as 57-year-old Ashot Mkrtychev.

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"Between the end of 2022 and early 2023, Mkrtychev worked with DPRK officials to obtain over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for materials ranging from commercial aircraft, raw materials and commodities to be sent to the DPRK," the department said in a press release.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

"Russia has lost over 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment since the start of the war, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has become increasingly desperate to replace them," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Schemes like the arms deal pursued by this individual show that Putin is turning to suppliers of last resort like Iran and the DPRK," she said.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the United States and its allies have repeatedly slapped sanctions against Russia that have not only taken a bite out of its economy but have restricted its ability to make war, including preventing it from acquiring and manufacturing weaponry.

These restrictions, coupled with its losses on the battlefield, have forced the Kremlin to turn to Iran and North Korea, with the United States publicly stating as early as September that Moscow was in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from Pyongyang.

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In December, the White House accused Pyongyang of providing an arms shipment to the Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary outfit that has been at the forefront of a lengthy battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

North Korea has denied the allegations.

"Today's action is a clear message that the United States will not relent in targeting those who provide support to Russia's aggression and brutal war against Ukraine," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "We will continue to identify, expose and counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment from the DPRK or any other state that is prepared to support its war in Ukraine."

North Korea's economy is facing a severe food crisis, with reports of shortfalls in crop production and distribution problems exacerbated by border closures meant to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, South Korea's Unification Ministry said the food situation appeared to be worsening in some regions, causing "continuous starvation deaths."

A report by monitoring website 38 North earlier this year concluded that North Korea is undergoing the worst period of food insecurity it has faced since a mass famine devastated the country almost 30 years ago.

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U.S. Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said later Thursday that the Pentagon has "not at this time" seen any signs of North Korea sending additional weapons or military support to Russia.

"But it's, again, something we continue to keep a close eye on," Ryder said at a press briefing.

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