The Kremlin stated on Tuesday that there was “no proof” North Korea was delivering weapons to Russia, following the publication of photographs supposedly proving Pyongyang’s weaponry shipments by Washington.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia last month and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stoking suspicion in Western countries about the prospect of a weapons trade.
“They report this all the time, without providing any proof,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when questioned about the reported weaponry shipments by Russian news agencies.
According to the White House, North Korea has already sent over 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to Russia for use in Ukraine in recent weeks.
While Russia said no agreements were signed during Kim’s visit in September, Putin said he saw “possibilities” for military cooperation.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, is scheduled to arrive in the isolated nation on Wednesday for a two-day visit. The trip’s specifics are unknown.
Both Russia and North Korea, longstanding allies, are subject to a slew of international sanctions, Moscow for its Ukraine war and Pyongyang for its nuclear weapons tests.
North Korea, which the US has previously accused of sending shells to Russia’s Wagner mercenary organization, is a huge manufacturer of conventional weapons and is believed to have substantial inventories of Soviet-era combat materiel.