Vice President Kamala Harris said in an interview broadcast Thursday that it would be a “huge mistake” for North Korea to offer military support to Russia as the invasion of Ukraine is ongoing.
Harris, speaking to CBS News, said “The idea that they would be supplying ammunition to that end, would be a huge mistake” and that she also believers “very strongly that for both Russia and North Korea, this will further isolate them.”
“It is very clear that Russia has — clearly — they are very desperate, they have already experienced a strategic failure,” Harris also said. “Just think about it, at the beginning of it all a year and a half ago, the pundits were saying that this would be over in days. Well, the Ukrainians are still fighting.”
The vice president’s comments come days after the Biden administration warned that North Korea will “pay a price” if it moves forward with a deal to provide arms to Moscow.
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White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made that comment during a press briefing on Tuesday, responding to reports that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet in person.
“[This] is not going to reflect well on North Korea, and they will pay a price for this in the international community,” Sullivan said. “We will continue to call on North Korea to abide by its public commitments not to supply weapons to Russia that will end up killing Ukrainians.”
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson announced on Monday that an in-person meeting between Kim and Putin was possible. Kim may travel to Moscow as soon as next week.
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Russia has rebuffed questions about the talks; however. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he “can’t” confirm the talks and said there is “nothing to say.”
Putin wants North Korea to supply Russia with artillery shells and antitank missiles. In exchange, Kim wants Russia to give North Korea advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, sources told The New York Times. Additionally, Kim wants food aid for his starving nation.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said last week that “arms negotiations” between the two U.S. adversaries were “actively advancing.”
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Reuters contributed to this report.
