US says North Korea has sent more than 1,000 weapon containers to Russia

North Korea supplied more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine between 7 September and 1 October, The Associated Press reported on Saturday, citing a US statement.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Washington condemned Pyongyang for “providing Russian with this military equipment, which will be used to attack Ukrainian cities and kill Ukrainian civilians and further Russia’s illegitimate war”.

To prove the claim, the White House showed satellite footage demonstrating that cargo had been loaded onto a Russian-flagged vessel from an ammunition warehouse in North Korea which was later delivered to a warehouse near the Russian border.

Kirby said that in return North Korea was seeking to obtain military aid from Russia, including fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, armoured vehicles and other advanced technologies.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia for an official visit in early September, during which he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu.

At the time, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that no military cooperation agreements had been signed during Kim’s six-day visit.