'Significant Escalation': North Korea Supplied Russia with Missiles for Ukraine Attacks, Says White House

North Korea has provided Russia with ballistic missiles and missile launchers that were used in recent attacks on Ukraine, the White House said Thursday. “This is a significant and concerning escalation,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a briefing.

Russian forces launched at least one of the North Korean-supplied missiles on December 30, which landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region, Kirby said. Moscow’s forces then fired “multiple” ballistic missiles into Ukraine as part of a mass aerial attack on January 2, he added.

The United States and its allies will now raise the matter at the UN Security Council as it represents a breach of UN sanctions against North Korea, said Kirby. Russia also intends to purchase missiles from its ally Iran, said the spokesman.