North Korean leader Kim Jong Un he intends to go to Russia to discuss with him President Vladimir Putinn arms sales by Pyongyang to Moscow to be used in the war in Ukraine, the White House claimed on Monday.

“As we have already said, there are active negotiations on arms deliveries between Russia and North Korea“said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the National Security Council of the US presidency.

And “we know that Kim Jong Un wants these negotiations to continue, especially with diplomatic discussion at the highest level in Russia,” he added.

Last Wednesday, the National Security Council’s chief spokesman, John Kirby, said Washington was concerned about the rapid progress on future arms deliveries from Pyongyang to Moscow and called for a “halt” on those talks.

According to Mr. Kerby, “potential deals” would result in “Russia receiving large quantities” of weapons, especially artillery ammunition, as well as raw materials for its defense industry.

These weapons will be “used against Ukraine”, discounted the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Shells, anti-tank missiles

According to the New York Times, Kim Jong Un is expected to travel to Vladivostok (eastern Russia) by armored train later this month to meet with Vladimir Putin.

A spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry also said that there are indications that talks between Pyongyang and Moscow on future deliveries of military equipment are progressing.

“Any form of cooperation between North Korea and its neighboring countries must be done in a way that does not harm international rules and peace“, he added.

The North Korean leader’s trips abroad are rare. In addition to his trips to Singapore (2018) and Vietnam (2019) for meetings with then US President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un has made four visits to China. He also met with Mr Putin in Vladivostok in 2019.

According to the New York Times, Mr. Putin wants to secure shells for the artillery and also anti-tank missiles. For his part, Mr. Kim wants state-of-the-art satellite and submarine technologies as well as food aid.

Last week, Washington claimed that North Korea had supplied Russia with rockets and missiles in 2022, munitions intended for use by the Wagner mercenary company.

The White House on Monday once again referred disparagingly to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s late July visit to North Korea, where he attended a military parade alongside Kim Jong Un, in order to “try to persuade Pyongyang to sell Russia munitions.” for the artillery”.

Sanctions on three entities

Last week, the US, Britain, South Korea and Japan said any deal to increase cooperation between Russia and North Korea would violate Security Council resolutions banning arms sales from or to Pyongyang — resolutions approved by Moscow itself.

They added that after Mr. Saigu’s visit to Pyongyang, a group of Russian officials went to North Korea to continue talks.

According to Cho Han-bum, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, international sanctions will not prevent any arms trade between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Russia and North Korea “are not worried” about the sanctions, as they have already been imposed, he continued and added that their military cooperation seems “inevitable”.

Last month, Washington imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of seeking to facilitate arms sales deals between North Korea and Russia.

They are linked to a Slovak citizen who was already sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in March for the same reason.

Always in the US administration’s view, Russia continues to waste its ammunition and lose heavy equipment in Ukraine and has therefore been forced to turn to its small group of allies for help.