"Putin might use this opportunity to visit Russia's three closest partners in Asia: China, Vietnam, and North Korea," Ian Storey, a fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told Voice of America.
While the number of missiles Pyongyang has given to Moscow remains a tiny percentage of Russia's overall stockpiles, Ukraine and its allies are concerned about the growing ties between the two countries.
Russia has been shipping refined petroleum to North Korea in volumes that may violate the U.N. Security Council's restrictions, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on May 2, according to Reuters.
Both Ukrainian and U.S. officials have previously said that Russia has been using North Korean-produced missiles to attack Ukraine.
Key developments on April 25: * Denmark announces additional $633 million in military support to Ukraine * NYT: US secretly sent Ukraine over 100 ATACMS last week * Reuters: Satellite imagery shows ship likely used to transfer North Korean arms to Russia docked in Chinese port * Reuters: Next round of EU sanctions on
The U.K.'s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the cargo ship the Angara, currently docked at a shipyard in China's eastern Zhejiang province, has been involved in carrying North Korean military cargo to Russia overseas.
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said earlier in April that the bloc is preparing its 14th round of sanctions against Russia, which should be adopted in spring.
North Korea's delegation is led by Yun Jung Ho, North Korea’s minister of external economic relations, state media said.
Russia's use of North Korean missiles during its offensive in Ukraine presents a unique opportunity for Pyongyang to assess its weaponry in actual combat scenarios, potentially gaining insights to enhance their effectiveness, according to a senior U.S. military official.
South Korea has imposed new sanctions against two Russian organizations, two individuals, and two ships over cooperation with North Korea, the South Korean Foreign Ministry reported on April 2.
The U.S. Pentagon assessed that North Korea continues to supply Russia with weapons, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing on April 1.
Russia on March 28 vetoed the annual renewal of the panel of experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
North Korea has been shaping up to be Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and over 3 million artillery shells.
The two countries also said they were increasingly concerned that Russia has been providing refined oil to North Korea.
Russia is defying U.N. sanctions by supplying North Korea with oil, likely in exchange for weapons, the Financial Times (FT) reported on March 26.
North Korea has been shaping up as Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and over 3 million artillery shells.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received congratulatory remarks from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and a few other leaders of Russia-friendly countries.
Russia has used around 50 North Korean missiles to attack six Ukrainian regions since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Filchakov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast prosecutor's office, said on March 14 during a press conference.
The sanctions target the Wagner Group, the Russian Aerospace Forces, and other entities who engage in arms trade with North Korea and Iran.
North Korea reportedly sent 6,700 ammunition containers to Russia following the Sept. 2023 summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea's Defense Ministry announced on Feb. 27.
Key developments on Feb. 22: * Military: Ukrainian strike in occupied Kherson Oblast kills around 60 Russian soldiers * US State Department: 'We do not believe Putin has advantage in the war' * SBU: Russian strikes with North Korean missiles have killed 24 civilians in Ukraine * Denmark signs 10-year security agreement with Ukraine,
Russian troops have so far launched over 20 North Korea-made missiles to attack Ukraine, killing at least 24 civilians and injuring over 100, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Feb. 22.
Key updates on Feb. 21: * BBC reports Ukrainian HIMARS strike in occupied Donetsk Oblast kills dozens of Russian troops * Reuters: Iran supplies 'hundreds of ballistic missiles' to Russia * Russia used 2 Zircon hypersonic missiles in Feb. 7 attack, expert says * Report: North Korean missiles used by Russia against Ukraine contain
A North Korean ballistic missile fired into Ukraine by the Russian military last month contained hundreds of components produced by companies in the U.S. and Europe, the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) organization announced in a recent report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un a car to signify their "special personal relations," the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Feb. 20.
"Currently, at least 24 ballistic missiles that were most likely produced in North Korea were used during Russian missile attacks on the territory of Ukraine" between Dec. 30, 2023, and Feb. 7, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin told journalists in Kyiv.
Two of the five missiles Russia launched at Kharkiv early on Feb. 7 were made in North Korea, said Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the Kharkiv Oblast police.
Sources told the New York Times that Russia had helped unblock $9 million in North Korean funds frozen at a Russian bank.
"Yes, we can confirm that if we are talking about artillery rounds, such cooperation between the two regimes is being documented. North Korea has already delivered a significant part of artillery rounds to Russia," military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov told Ukrinform.
