"Russia and North Korea Forge Controversial Arms Deal, U.S. Condemns"

The United States has accused Russia of pursuing major arms deals with North Korea, claiming that the two countries are "actively advancing" talks for additional weapons to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, condemned Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for visiting North Korea and attempting to convince Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition to Russia. The U.S. intelligence report suggests that the potential agreement would allow North Korea to ship significant quantities and multiple types of weapons to Russia for deployment in Ukraine. Relations between Washington, its Asian allies, and both North Korea and Russia have further deteriorated since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.