Russia has started using ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea to attack Ukraine, the White House has said.

Washington also alleged Russia was in talks with Iran to buy short-range ballistic missiles. The US intelligence assessment is that Iranian missiles have not yet arrived in Russia, but that the deal will eventually be done.

 

The US’s national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said on Thursday that Russia fired a North Korean ballistic missile into Ukraine on 30 December, but it landed in an open field. However, Kirby said Russian forces had launched more such missiles as part of a large salvo on 2 January, and their impact had yet to be assessed.

 

“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. As we’ve been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea,” Kirby told reporters at the White House, adding it was a “significant and concerning escalation” in Pyongyang’s support for Moscow.

Kirby said the range of the North Korean missiles was 900km (560 miles), and that in return for the weapons, Russia was expected to supply fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armoured vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment and other advanced technologies.

“This would have concerning security implications for the Korean peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

 

FULL STORY

 

Seems a tad hypocritical for America to complain that Russia is getting missiles from elsewhere when the US is supplying missiles to Ukraine.

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Seems a tad hypocritical for America to complain that Russia is getting missiles from elsewhere when the US is supplying missiles to Ukraine.

 

@thaibeachlovers

 

Guess you missed the sanctions bit, and the identity of Russia's suppliers. Or maybe you didn't.