Group of Seven Expresses 'Serious Concern' Over Deepening Russia-North Korea Relations

On Friday, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries and three other nations issued a joint statement condemning the transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia and their use against Ukraine. Senior diplomats from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the EU's foreign policy chief, called on North Korea to halt its weapons exports and nuclear weapons program. The statement reads: 'Our governments firmly oppose this ongoing transfer of weapons that Russia is using to attack Ukraine's critical infrastructure and prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people.' Although the statement emphasizes existing sanctions against Moscow and Pyongyang, it does not mention any new sanctions. Russia has repeatedly claimed, despite abundant evidence, that it is not engaging in military cooperation with North Korea and that its relationship with Pyongyang poses no threat to any third country or regional security. The Friday statement also stressed diplomacy as the only way to achieve lasting peace and called on North Korea to 'completely, verifiably, and irreversibly' eliminate all nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and related programs. Following North Korea's withdrawal last year from a treaty established in 2018 aimed at de-escalating tensions near their border, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased. The joint statement from the ten countries and the EU was released a day after North Korea launched a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles to demonstrate its willingness to conduct a preemptive strike against its southern neighbor. North Korea's 'gift' to South Korea: balloons carrying waste and feces. Leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan met amid regional tensions. New U.S. sanctions against two individuals and three Russian companies due to military weapon transfers between Russia and North Korea. The U.S. claims Russia is 'secretly' selling more oil to North Korea than the UN's set limit.