Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday said that the United States believes Russia's Defense Minister is in North Korea to secure supplies of weapons to aid Moscow's stalled invasion of Ukraine. Following Sergei Shoigu's arrival on a rare trip to Pyongyang, Blinken said that Russia is scrambling to buy arms from allies across the world. "We're seeing Russia desperately looking for support, for weapons, wherever it can find them to continue to prosecute its aggression against Ukraine," he said. While in North Korea, Shoigu met the country's leader Kim Jong Un, in what Pyongyang's state media described as "a friendly talk." Russia, a historic ally of North Korea, is one of a handful of nations with which Pyongyang maintains amicable relations.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 29, 2023 08:09 UTC