G7 foreign ministers express concern about what Russia and North Korea "might be up to"

At a dinner of the G7 foreign ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday night, “there was great concern in the room about what Russia and (North Korea) might be up to together,” a senior State Department official said Tuesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, and the two held what the Kremlin called “very substantive” discussions.

Their meeting came after US officials warned that Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing” in a potential arms deal that could see Pyongyang provide weapons for Moscow to use in its faltering Ukraine war in exchange for sanctioned ballistic missile technology.

The official declined to say if there was a consensus among the G7 around what Russia would be willing to give North Korea or vice versa, but told reporters Tuesday that the top diplomats were concerned that if the two countries go "in the weapons direction," it would not only be dangerous for Ukraine but also be "yet another violation of UN principles by Russia