North Korea has sent ‘1,000 containers of weapons’ to Russia for war in Ukraine, White House says
North Korea has sent large amounts of weapons to Russia to help Moscow fight its war in Ukraine, the White House has said.
Pyongyang has delivered more than 1,000 containers of “equipment and munitions” in recent weeks, National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.
Washington released pictures that it said showed containers loaded with arms on a Russian-flagged ship before being moved by train to southwestern Russia.
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The 40-second Putin-Kim handshake
The containers were shipped between 7 September and 1 October, between Najin, North Korea, and Dunay, Russia, according to the White House.
Speculation Pyongyang would start sending arms to Russia has been rife since North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, visited Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and see key military sites.
In return, North Korea wants sophisticated Russian weapons technologies to use in its nuclear weapons development programme, Mr Kirby said.
Satellite photos showing a sharp increase in rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border were published last week by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Images dated 5 October, the Washington thinktank said, showed “a dramatic and unprecedented level of freight railcar traffic” at the Tumangang Rail Facility, on the country’s border with Russia.
More than 70 railcars were identified, the centre said, whereas only around 20 were visible over the previous five years.
A satellite picture taken on 5 October showing increased activity at the Tumangang Rail Facility in North Korea. Pic: Planet Labs PBC
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Kim Jong Un checks out Russian fighter jets
The US has accused North Korea of previously providing ammunition, artillery shells and rockets to Russia.
Last month, after meeting Mr Putin, the North Korean leader demanded an exponential increase in his country’s production of nuclear weapons.
It was time, he said, for Pyongyang to play a larger role in a coalition of nations confronting the US in a “new Cold War”, North Korean state media reported.
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Kim Jong Un ramps up nuclear weapons production
The Korean Central News Agency said Mr Kim made the comments during a two-day session of the country’s parliament, which changed the constitution to include his policy of expanding the country’s nuclear weapons programme.
Mr Kim deepened “comradely fellowship and friendly ties” with Mr Putin, during his six-day trip to Russia, North Korean state media said.
The two countries said they discussed boosting their defence ties but did not disclose any specific steps.
Thousands of people gathered in various cities across the US as protests against Donald Trump and Elon Musk took place in all 50 states on Saturday.
Around 1,200 demonstrations were planned in locations including Washington DC, New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida – just miles away from where the US president has this weekend played golf.
The “Hands Off!” protests were against the Trump administration’s handling of government downsizing, human rights and the economy, among other issues.
In Washington DC, protesters streamed on the grass in front of the Washington Monument, where one person carried a banner which read: “Make democracy great again.”
Thousands gathered in Washington DC to rally against various Trump policies. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Another protester took aim at Mr Trump‘s handling of Russia and Ukraine, with a placard that read: “Stop Putin’s puppets from destroying America.”
Tesla boss Mr Musk also featured on many signs due to his role in controversial government cuts as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Demonstrators in NYC. Pic: AP
People marching in Atlanta, Georgia. Pic: Reuters
A rally in Vermont. Pic: The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist, said she drove to the rally to protest Mr Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education”.
“I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is,” she added.
A drone view of the protest at the Utah State Capitol building. Pic Reuters
A protester sports a Handmaid’s Tale costume. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Some at the various protests carried Ukrainian flags, while others sported rainbow attire and waved rainbow flags in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Other protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs.
Thousands marched in New York City’s midtown Manhattan and in Boston, Massachusetts, while hundreds gathered in the sunshine outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, and in the rain outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
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Mr Trump – who shook financial markets with his tariffs announcement this week – spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf before returning to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
People protest in Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
Activists in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pic: AP
Some four miles from Mar-a-Lago, more than 400 people gathered – and drivers honked their horns in support of protesters who held up signs including one which read: “Markets tank, Trump golfs.”
The White House has said Mr Trump plans to go golfing again on Sunday.
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