WASHINGTON: The United States has characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as an act of desperation regarding the Ukraine conflict. The US also issued renewed warnings that any arms deal between North Korea and Russia could result in sanctions.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, during a press briefing on Monday, stated, “Having to travel across the length of his own country to meet with an international pariah to ask for assistance in a war that he expected to win in the opening month, I would characterize it as him begging for assistance.”
US Taunts Putin Over North Korea Meeting
Miller further emphasized that Putin’s initial aspiration of restoring the glory of the Russian Empire through the conflict in Ukraine had failed. He described Putin’s travel to the talks in the Far Eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, after missing the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, as going “hat in hand” due to his “pariah” status.
The State Department also issued a stern warning, highlighting that any transfer of arms from North Korea to Russia would be in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. It reaffirmed the US’s commitment to aggressively enforcing sanctions against entities that support Russia’s war effort and expressed a readiness to impose new sanctions when deemed appropriate.
