Dangerous not only for Ukraine: Kirby explains risks of military cooperation between Russia and DPRK
John Kirby, coordinator of the National Security Council at the White House (photo: Getty Images)
Any deepening of military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is dangerous not only for Ukraine but also for the countries of the Indo-Pacific region, states John Kirby, coordinator of the National Security Council at the White House.
" Putin is desperate. He’s desperate for assistance and military capability, because the export controls and the sanctions have basically turned whatever economy he had before this war into pretty much a wartime economy," Kirby said, commenting on the recent alleged use of North Korean missiles by Russia to attack Kyiv.
According to him, this is prompting the Russian leader to seek help from countries such as Iran and North Korea.
Kirby could not confirm that it was North Korean missiles that were used, but added that such actions by the Russian army are in line with Putin's intentions to use military assistance from the DPRK.
"It’s dangerous, obviously, for the people of Ukraine, as these missiles continue to rain down on them and their energy infrastructure. But it’s also dangerous for the Indo-Pacific region. Any notion of a burgeoning defense relationship between North Korea and Russia will have ramifications for our collective security and our national security requirements in the Indo-Pacific," he said.
At the same time, the White House official said that the United States and its allies will make the necessary efforts to improve the situation against the backdrop of such cooperation.
Russian attacks with DPRK missiles
On August 11, during a nighttime missile attack by Russia in the Brovary district of Kyiv region, missile fragments fell on private homes. A man and a child were killed.
Later, Ukrainian experts found that it was a DPRK missile that attacked the Brovary district of Kyiv region. The attack killed a father and a four-year-old son.
A similar incident also occurred on August 6, when Russia attacked Kyiv. It was reported that one of the KN-23s fell on the outskirts of Brovary, namely in the forest next to the road.
Earlier this year, Kirby said that the United States had evidence that Russian forces had used North Korean-made ballistic missiles against peaceful Ukrainian cities over several days.
