00:00 for its war in Ukraine, that those discussions are actively advancing.
00:03 Arms talks between Russia and North Korea are actively advancing.
00:07 That's according to U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday,
00:12 after reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un plans to visit Russia.
00:16 Sullivan also sent a stern warning against the possibility of supplying
00:21 Moscow with arms for use in Ukraine.
00:24 Providing weapons to Russia for use on the battlefield to attack grain silos
00:29 and the heating infrastructure of major cities as we head into winter,
00:33 to try to conquer territory that belongs to another sovereign nation,
00:38 this is not going to reflect well on North Korea and they will pay a price for this
00:42 in the international community.
00:44 Sullivan told reporters the latest analysis showed Kim expects discussions about weapons to continue,
00:51 including at leader level, perhaps even in person.
00:55 The Kremlin said early on Tuesday it had "nothing to say" about statements by U.S. officials that
01:01 Kim plans to travel to Russia this month to meet President Vladimir Putin for arms talks.
01:07 If the trip happens, it would be Kim's first known visit abroad in more than four years
01:12 and the first since the coronavirus pandemic.
01:14 On Monday, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
01:18 said the two countries are discussing the possibility of joint military exercises.
01:23 Shoigu had visited Pyongyang in July to attend weapons displays
01:27 that included North Korean ballistic missiles banned by the U.N. Security Council.
01:32 At the Tuesday news briefing,
01:35 Sullivan also took the chance to critique Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.
01:39 I think it says a lot that Russia is having to turn to a country like North Korea
01:46 to seek to bolster its defense capacity in a war that it expected would be over in a week,
01:51 that in September of 2023 it is going to North Korea to get munitions
01:57 to try to continue to grind out on the battlefield in Ukraine.
02:01 He also pointed out the U.S. imposed targeted sanctions in mid-August
02:05 to deter arms deals between North Korea and Russia,
02:09 and called on Pyongyang to stick to its public commitments
02:12 to not supply weapons for a war that is killing Ukrainians.
