The EU has stated that it is ready to take measures against North Korea if it supports Russia in war against Ukraine.

European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano noted that the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shows that Russia is deepening its connections with the most isolated regimes.

"This shows Russia's growing isolation and desperation, as well as the effectiveness of our measures against the Russian Federation for its imperialist war against Ukraine. Of course, we strongly condemn not only the Russian aggression against Ukraine, but also anyone who supports Russia in this war," Stano emphasised.

The EU calls on North Korea to stop providing Russia with any political or other support. The EU also calls on Russia, which agreed and approved sanctions against North Korea, to respect the UN Security Council’s decision.

"Any support provided to Russia, in particular military support from North Korea, will be followed by negative consequences. We have shown this in the case of Iran for its support of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and the EU has taken measures. Therefore, we are ready to monitor the situation and react if there is a need," Stano added.

Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin met on 13 September at the Vostochny [Eastern] Cosmodrome. On the day of Kim's arrival in the Russian Federation, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles near its eastern coast.

The United States threatened to aggressively apply existing sanctions against Pyongyang and introduce new ones if North Korea provided weapons to Moscow for its war in Ukraine.