The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Russia-based individuals and entities, accusing them of facilitating the transfer of North Korean ballistic missiles and other weapons for Moscow's use against Ukraine.
The additional sanctions were announced by the Treasury Department at a time when the United States and its allies are increasingly concerned about Russia's deepening ties with North Korea, as well as China.
Russia and North Korea have boosted their military cooperation over the past year, the department said, with Pyongyang providing ballistic missiles and munitions for Russian forces to attack Ukraine. It also said North Korea is seeking military assistance from Russia in return.
"The United States will continue to take action to hold accountable those who seek to facilitate the shipment of weapons and other materiel to enable Russia's war," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
The department identified the individuals as Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan and Aleksey Budnev, and the three entities as Trans Kapital Limited Liability Company, Rafort Limited Liability Company and Tekhnologiya, OOO.
Separately, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the United States will continue to take all necessary steps to counter the "destabilizing" Russia-North Korea partnership while calling on other countries to join Washington's efforts.
The U.S. remarks came just after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping to reinforce their countries' "comprehensive strategic partnership" in their meeting in Beijing marking the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.
A lengthy joint statement released by Russia and China following the meeting was laden with criticism of the United States. In connection with North Korea, they voiced opposition to what they called Washington's pressure on Pyongyang, urging it to abandon sanctions and take other "effective" steps to ease tensions.
Asked about the statement during a press briefing, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said, "We don't see anything new here."
She reiterated that the United States finds it unacceptable that Chinese companies are backing Putin's war against Ukraine, adding, "If China purports to support peace in Europe, it cannot continue to fuel the biggest threat to European security."
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