Blinken calls to stop Russia's cooperation with Iran, DPRK and China for peace in Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The United States believes that two conditions must be met to achieve peace in Ukraine. One of them is the cessation of Russia's military cooperation with Iran, North Korea, and China, citing a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a UN Security Council meeting.
He argued that Western allies face the challenge of ending Putin's war, as Russia has no intention of halting its aggression.
"There are two immediate and interrelated steps that we must take. First, we must address Russia’s growing cooperation with North Korea and Iran," Blinken said.
The Secretary of State reminded that Iran has been supplying combat drones to the Kremlin since 2022. Tehran helped build a drone factory in Russia and, just a few weeks ago, transferred hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles and trained Russian military personnel in Iran to operate these weapons.
Meanwhile, China has delivered trains loaded with weapons and ammunition to Russia, including ballistic missiles, launchers, and millions of artillery shells.
"Support from Tehran and Pyongyang is helping Putin inflict carnage, suffering, and ruin on innocent Ukrainian men, women, and children; demolish Ukrainian apartment buildings, grain silos, and ports; ravage Ukrainian power plants, heating, and natural gas facilities just as freezing temperatures are setting in," Blinken said.
He emphasized that the actions of Iran, North Korea, and Russia have violated numerous Security Council resolutions — resolutions that Russia itself voted for. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia bears a special responsibility for their implementation.
"North Korea and Iran are not the only ones aiding and abetting Russia. China, another permanent member of this council, is the top provider of machine tools, microelectronics, and other items that Russia is using to rebuild, to restock, to ramp up its war machine and sustain its brutal aggression," the US Secretary of State added.
Military aid to Russia
Most countries in the world condemn the war Russia has unleashed against Ukraine. However, a few nations support Russia and even provide military assistance, notably Iran and North Korea.
In September, it became known that Iran had delivered a batch of ballistic missiles to Russia. Tehran is trying to deny this information. The US imposed sanctions on Iran for transferring the missiles.
China officially claims a supposedly neutral stance on the war. Beijing does not supply weapons to the Russian army, but Chinese companies deliver dual-use goods, which can be utilized for weapons production.
