The head of NATO stated on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to North Korea this week demonstrated how Moscow’s war campaign in Ukraine had became “dependent” on despotic rulers.
“It demonstrates how dependent President Putin, and Moscow, now is on authoritarian countries across the world,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Washington following a speech at the Wilson Center.
“Their closest friends and the biggest supporters of the Russian war effort — war of aggression — (are) North Korea, Iran and China,” Stoltenberg said.
When asked what steps NATO could take, Stoltenberg responded, “North Korea is currently subject to several sanctions. The issue is that these sanctions are currently being broken by Russia.”
Stoltenberg claimed that North Korea has already sent one million shells to Russia, citing a figure previously provided by South Korean intelligence.
“That flow of weapons continues,” Stoltenberg said. “We see them loading the railroad cars and then crossing the border between North Korea and Russia.”
Russia is a member of the UN Security Council that has the power to veto decisions. As a result of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, sanctions have been placed on the country.
