The Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor, was allegedly sent amunitions by North Korea to support Russia’s operation against Ukraine, according to the United States.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, confirmed the development on Thursday, citing US intelligence agencies, a day after Japanese media reported it.
The article claims that last month, North Korea sent armaments, including artillery rounds and rockets, to Russia by rail.
‘We estimate that the quantity of material provided to Wagner won’t alter Ukrainian battlefield dynamics. However, the fact that North Korea intends to send more military hardware worries us,’ Kirby said.
The Biden administration said that the sale of arms to private military group violates the UN regulations that ban North Korea from importing or exporting weapons.
But Pyongyang denied having sent arms to Russia, calling the Japanese media reports ‘baseless.’ It also slammed the US for sending lethal weapons to Ukraine.
‘The Japanese media’s false report that the DPRK offered munitions to Russia is the most absurd red herring, which is not worth any comment or interpretation,’ a ministry spokesperson said in a statement carried by the KCNA, reports Reuters news agency.