US Vice President Kamala Harris said it would be a “huge mistake” for North Korea to exchange military support with Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
Harris, who is in Jakarta, Indonesia for an ASEAN summit, told CBS News in an interview broadcast today that it would be a sign of desperation for Russia to seek aid from the reclusive North Korea and it would further isolate both countries.
“I think it would be a huge mistake. The idea that they would be supplying ammunition to that end, is—would be a huge mistake. I also believe very strongly that for both Russia and North Korea, this will further isolate them,” Harris said.
US officials have warned in recent days that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are actively advancing, while a report said North Korea’s Kim Jong Un plans to travel to Russia this month to meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss supplying Moscow with weapons for its war effort.
“It is very clear that Russia has—clearly they’re very desperate. They have already experienced a strategic failure. Just think about it, at the beginning of it all, year and a half ago, the pundits were saying that this would be over in days. Well, the Ukrainians are still fighting,” Harris told CBS.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday warned Kim that his country would pay a price for supplying Russia with weapons to use in Ukraine.
According to a report, Vice President Harris said that a meeting between North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a mistake, saying it would further isolate both countries.
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North Korea is considering supplying Moscow with artillery rounds and rockets in return for critical technology and food. The deal could be made later this month when Kim is planning to go to Moscow.
“I think it would be a huge mistake. The idea that they would be supplying ammunition to that end … would be a huge mistake,” Harris told CBS’s Margaret Brennan in an interview in Jakarta, Indonesia. “I also believe very strongly that for both Russia and North Korea, this will further isolate them.”
“It is very clear that Russia has — clearly they’re very desperate. They have already experienced a strategic failure,” the vice president continued. “Just think about it, at the beginning of it all, year-and-a-half ago, the pundits were saying that this would be over in days. Well, the Ukrainians are still fighting.”
The full interview is set to air Sunday on CBS. Harris was interviewed while representing the U.S. in place of President Biden at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
U.S. officials have recently warned that the relationship between North Korea and Russia is strengthening, and that a potential military support deal between North Korea and Russia would be a concerning next step. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to North Korea in July and asked for military support, according to the White House.
North Korea has not directly supported Russia’s armed forces during the war in Ukraine, although Pyongyang reportedly supplied the mercenary company Wagner Group with rockets and artillery. The move led to U.S. sanctions against North Korean entities responsible for the arms transfers.
