US alleges North Korea is 'covertly supplying' artillery shells to Russia for Ukraine war

Amid the conundrum over the use of Iranian drones by Russia in the Ukraine war, the United States is saying that it has concrete information that indicates North Korea is secretly supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells for the ongoing war.

In a virtual briefing, the White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday (November 2) that North Korea was attempting to obscure the shipments by funnelling them through countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Kirby said: "Our indications are that the DPRK is covertly supplying and we are going to monitor to see whether the shipments are received. We do have a sense on where they are going to transfer these shells."

To counter North Korea's reported military assistance to Russia, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday that Washington will also look at additional tools and authorities that may be used.

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Without providing more details, Kirby said that the US would consult with the United Nations to get accountability over the issues as far as the shipments are concerned.

The US also claimed that Iran provided Russia with drones, missiles for the war in Ukraine. The claims and counterclaims over drones raised geo-political tensions but Iran them denied multiple times.

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Commenting on the alleged shipments from North Korea, Kirby said that the number of shells was not insignificant. However, it won't help Russia in changing the momentum or outcome of the war.

But still, it could be deadly for Ukrainians, Kirby said, adding that it's certainly not going to "change our calculus".

Kirby further said, "With so many of our allies and partners about the kinds of capabilities we're going to continue to provide the Ukrainians."

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The North Korean supplies, according to Kirby, were a sign of Moscow's munitions shortages brought on by US-led sanctions and export limits as well as Pyongyang's desire to back Russia.

Meanwhile, North Korea in September warned the US to "keep its mouth shut" and stop spreading allegations intended to "tarnish" the country's reputation, asserting that it has never provided Russia with weapons or ammunition and has no plans to do so.

North Korea fires a barrage of missiles

Kirby's remark came on the same day when North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea, including one that landed less than 60 km off South Korea's coast. The South's President Yoon Suk-yeol described it as "territorial encroachment."

The United States would make sure it has the capacity there to defend its partners, Kirby said in reference to the latest missile tests by North Korea, adding that they did not constitute an imminent threat to American personnel in the area.

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