UK condemns North Korea for supplying arms to Russian Wagner Group mercenaries
The UK has condemned North Korea for completing an arms delivery to Russia’s mercenaries in the notorious Wagner Group.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly made his comments on Thursday after the US released information claiming Pyongyang had completed an arms delivery, which is in breach of UN Security Council resolutions.
Cleverly said: “The UK supports the US assessment that North Korea has completed an arms delivery to Russia for use by the Wagner Group, which paid for this equipment and has thousands of troops in Ukraine.”
“This is a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolutions. The fact that President Putin is turning to North Korea for help is a sign of Russia’s desperation and isolation.”
“We will work with our partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”
The Wagner Group is a notorious paramilitary Kremlin-linked group which assassinates opponents and has been dubbed a private army of president Vladimir Putin.
This comes after Ukraine’s president Vlodymyr Zelensky made an historic visit to Washington D.C. where he addressed Congress and signed a billion-dollar deal for US military equipment.
According to the UK foreign office, Putin has increasingly turned to Wagner for military support in Ukraine, with its owner Yevgeny Prigozhin having spent more than $100m a month to fund its operations. It recruits prisoners to fight in Ukraine and operates in the eastern Donbas region in particular.