US warns North Korea not to negotiate arms sales with Russia

Speaking to reporters, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed concern about possible arms deals being pursued between Russia and North Korea.

"We call on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to cease arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments Pyongyang has made not to supply or sell arms to Russia," Kirby stressed.

Citing intelligence sources, the White House official said that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu tried to persuade Pyongyang to sell artillery shells to Moscow during a visit to North Korea in July. However, Mr. Kirby did not provide details about this information.

Kirby's comments come just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged letters pledging to strengthen ties between the two countries. "I am sure that we will strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas for the prosperity of our peoples and the solid stability and security of the Korean Peninsula and the entire Northeast Asia region," Putin said in a statement at the time.

Last year, the US accused North Korea of ​​secretly shipping artillery shells to Russia. However, both Pyongyang and Moscow denied these allegations.

North Korea is under heavy UN sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, while Russia also faces a series of US and Western sanctions after conducting a special military operation in Ukraine last year.

On August 15, the US State Department also issued a statement emphasizing that "any form of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia would certainly violate a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions."

The latest US warning to North Korea comes as Pyongyang continues to conduct ballistic missile launches. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the Korean People's Army (KPA) conducted a tactical nuclear strike drill on the evening of August 30, in response to the ongoing joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.

The tactical nuclear weapons unit of the KPA in the western region of the DPRK conducted relevant exercises, simulating the situation of destroying major command centers and airports in South Korea. The missile unit fired two tactical ballistic missiles from Pyongyang International Airport toward the northeast and achieved its goal by exploding in the air at an altitude of 400 meters above the target island. KCNA asserted that the exercise was aimed at sending a strong message to the US and South Korea.

Similarly, in response to the current situation in which the US and South Korea are conducting large-scale military exercises simulating an all-out war against the DPRK, the KPA General Staff conducted a command exercise involving the entire military to evaluate and test the commanding capabilities and organizational structures of commanding officers of large combined arms units at all levels, KCNA said.