US and NATO concerned over possible missile shipments to Russia from North Korea – NYT

European and US officials are concerned over a possible increase in North Korean missile and ammunition supplies to Russia, the New York Times (NYT) has reported, citing sources in the Pentagon and NATO.

According to the New York Times, reports indicate that even though many of the North Korean artillery munitions are faulty, the Russians can still use them to bombard Ukrainian positions, while Ukrainian forces are limited in using their own dwindling stockpiles.

The greatest concern of Brussels and Washington is ballistic missiles, as a number of officials fear that Russia is going to use them to target Western air defence systems supplied to Ukraine.

The NTY reported that Russia has so far received a few missiles – probably less than 50 – but US and European officials believe that North Korea may eventually provide many more.

Moreover, the study revealed that, unlike shells, North Korean missiles are not obsolete as their design is up-to-date and these weapons are accurate.

South Korean officials and analysts say the war in Ukraine is giving North Korea what it needs: a testing ground to see how its new missile arsenal, designed for conflict with South Korea and the United States, performs against Western-made air defence systems.

US officials worry that should North Korea ramp up its shipments to Russia, Ukraine may be forced to spend even more Western-supplied air defence missiles. This would prove devastating for Ukraine if the US Congress does not approve supplemental military funding.

NATO is also concerned over North Korean shipments to Russia, which could pose a particular problem at a time when Ukraine faces uncertainty over when and from whom it will receive the next supplies.

The newspaper noted that it would be challenging for the United States to stop these shipments from North Korea to Russia. North Korea has recently adopted a more belligerent stance in its foreign policy and has focused on strengthening its ties with Russia.

However, the nature of this relationship is unclear. Russia promises a wide range of technology in exchange for ballistic missiles, including aircraft and advanced technology. However, US officials do not believe that Russia has provided weapons or additional ballistic missile technology at this point.

Russia stepped up cooperation with North Korea after the former's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Pyongyang is known to have handed over artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Moscow, which have already been used to strike Ukrainian cities.

The United States has indicated that the nature of the security threat posed by North Korea could change "drastically" in the next decade as a result of its cooperation with Russia.