Russia-North Korea weapon deal may breach UN resolutions

The United States stated today that Russia would violate UN resolutions if it reaches an agreement on weapons with North Korea, following Moscow and Pyongyang expressing support for enhanced cooperation.

"Any form of security cooperation or weapons agreement between North Korea and Russia will undoubtedly breach a series of UN Security Council resolutions," said the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, Vendant Patel, to reporters.

This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin advocated for strengthened cooperation with Pyongyang, in a message directed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim "emphasized the need to continue developing strategic and tactical cooperation between the two countries in the fields of security and defense," according to a message from Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam, which was read at a security conference near Moscow and cited by Russian news agencies.

The U.S. suspects that Moscow is trying to procure weapons from its North Korean ally.

The pledges for increased cooperation are being made ahead of the summit between the leaders of South Korea, the United States, and Japan, scheduled for Friday in Washington. The summit aims to enhance their collaboration in the security sector in the face of an increasingly threatening North Korea.