US warns North Korea 'will pay a price' if it sells arms to Russia

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US issued a terse warning to North Korea on Tuesday and told Pyongyang it will "pay a price" if it opts to sell arms to Russia.

"Providing weapons to Russia for use on the battlefield to attack grain silos and the heating infrastructure of major cities as we head into winter to try to conquer territory that belongs to another sovereign nation, this is not going to reflect well on North Korea," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House.

"They will pay a price for this in the international community," he added.

Sullivan said the US has worked in public and behind closed doors to ensure that North Korea knows it should not sell any weapons to Moscow, and "will continue to look for opportunities to dissuade the North Koreans from taking this step."

The comments come after the White House said Friday that secretive talks between Russia and North Korea to supply the Kremlin with munitions for its war effort in Ukraine are "actively advancing."

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said US intelligence indicates Russia is seeking artillery rounds and raw materials to bolster its heavily sanctioned defense industrial base.

The White House said in December that Russia's Wagner private military group had received an arms shipment from North Korea, and said in March that Russia was seeking to broker a food-for-arms scheme with Pyongyang.

The New York Times reported Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss potential direct arms sales to Moscow.

Sullivan did not directly confirm the report but said North Korea's leadership sees the arms sales talks as "potentially leading to leader-level engagement" with Russia.