Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles on Tuesday as part of an overnight attack, and the US was assessing the impact, he said. The missiles have a range of about 885km.
US intelligence officials believe that North Korea, in return for its arms support, wants Russia to provide it with aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armoured vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment and other advanced technologies.
The White House in October said North Korea had delivered more than 1000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.
‘These weapons increase the suffering of the Ukrainian people’ - joint statement
Peters’ joint statement with other foreign ministers said the supply of North Korean weapons to Russia “increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia’s war of aggression and undermines the global non-proliferation regime”.
The statement read: “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) [North Korea] export and Russia’s procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, as well as Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024.
“Russia’s use of DPRK ballistic missiles in Ukraine also provides valuable technical and military insights to the DPRK.
“We are deeply concerned about the security implications that this co-operation has in Europe, on the Korean Peninsula, across the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world.”
Co-signatories on the statement included Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Israel, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States, among others.
“Our governments stand together in resolute opposition to arms transfers between the DPRK and Russia,” the statement continued.
“The transfer of ballistic missiles, along with any other arms and related materiel, from the DPRK to Russia flagrantly violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions... that Russia itself supported.
“We call on the DPRK and Russia to abide by relevant [Security Council resolutions] and to immediately cease all activities that violate them,” the statement said.
“We urge all UN Member States, including all members of the United Nations Security Council, to join us in condemning Russia and the DPRK’s flagrant UNSCR violations.
“As Russia launches waves of missiles and drones against the Ukrainian people, we will continue to stand together in support of Ukraine.”
The international community would closely monitor what Russia provided North Korea in return for the weapon exports, the statement said.
Additional reporting AP
