US Intelligence officials are firm about Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu speaking to North Korean officials about increasing the sale of munitions to Moscow for its war in Ukraine. According to the White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby, the Russian Minister made this pitch during his visit to Pyongyang, last week for events marking the 70th anniversary of the armstice that halted fighting in 1950-53 Korean War. Shoigu was designated by President Vladmir Putin to lead the Russian delegation for the commemoration.
US interprets that Shoigu's pitch to tighten cooperation with North Korea underlines Russia's dependency on the 'hermit kingdom', as well as Iran, for ammunition to fight the war against Ukraine. “This is yet another example of how desperate Mr. Putin has become because his war machine is being affected by the sanctions and the export controls,” said Kirby. “He is going through a vast amount of inventory to try to subjugate Ukraine, and he's reaching out to countries like North Korea, like Iran, and certainly he's been trying to reach out to China to get support for his war machine.” the spokesman added.
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The White House gathered intelligence that indicates that Russia was looking to broker a food-for-arms deal with North Korea- Moscow agreed to provide North with food and other essentials in return for minitions from Pyongyang. The White House said it had determined that the Wagner Group had taken delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea on behalf of Russia, late last year, to fight in Ukraine. However, both Russia and North Korea have previously denied the U.S. allegations about weapons. Despite the denial, North Korea has sided with Russia over the war in Ukraine, emphasizing on the "hegemonic policy" of the U.S.- led West had forced Moscow to take military actions in the interest of its security.
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The White House also stated that Iran has been a crucial supplier of attack drones for Russia, and Moscow has had to maneuver around sanctions to obtain sophisticated parts to build and sustain its weapon supply as the war in Ukraine continues. North Korea and Iran are largely secluded on the international stage for their nuclear programs and human rights records. The United States Secretary Of State Anthony Blinken, earlier this year warned that Beijing was weighing in on providing Russia with weapons, as per U.S. intelligence. Although, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping did promise Vladmir Putin a partnership with "no limits" on Feb 24, 2022, weeks before Russia sent its troops into Ukraine, U.S intelligence has been unable to confirm China's participation yet.
However, The Biden administration's intelligence' findings over the course of the war aim to show that Russia has limited options to seek munitions from.
