The White House has “new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire more munitions from North Korea,” a White House spokesman said Thursday, according to AFP.

John Kirby of the National Security Council recalled that, according to US intelligence, North Korea had recently provided military aid to Russia.

Russia is sending a delegation to North Korea to offer food in exchange for weapons, Kirby accused, BBC News reported, citing News.ro.

He notes that any Russian-North Korean arms supply agreement violates UN Security Council resolutions.

Earlier, Washington accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons to the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.

The North rejected these accusations.

“We also understand that Russia wants to send a delegation to North Korea and that Russia is offering food to North Korea in exchange for some ammunition,” a White House official charged at a news conference.

The United States is closely monitoring the situation and this alleged agreement, he warns.

The US Treasury Department has blacklisted the name of 56-year-old Slovak Ashot Mkrtychev, whom it accuses of being an intermediary between Moscow and Pyongyang.

According to the Ministry of Finance, Ashot Mkrtychev organized the sale of weapons and was a mediator in the agreements according to which North Korea sent weapons to Russia in late 2022 and early 2023.

In return, Pyongyang received cash, commercial aircraft, goods and raw materials, the Ministry of Finance accuses.

Sanctions against Mkrtychev consist of banning American companies from doing business with him and blocking his assets in the United States, News.ro reports.

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