Washington, 30 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Russia continues to try to acquire weapons and ammunition from North Korea, the US government said on Thursday.

"We have new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from North Korea," US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington on Thursday.

The US believe that Russia tries to broker a secret arms agreement with North Korea through an arms dealer called Ashot Mkrtychev.

This would allow Russia to obtain more than two dozen types of weapons and ammunition from the isolated country. In return, Russia is offering North Korea food, the US said.

Such an agreement violates a number of UN Security Council resolutions, said Kirby. He said Washington had taken note of North Korea's recent statements that it would not sell or supply weapons to Russia.

"We will continue to monitor this matter closely," Kirby said. The US imposed sanctions on Mkrtychev on Thursday, freezing his possible assets in the US.

Kirby stressed that the United States would do everything possible to prevent Russia from acquiring military equipment from North Korea and any other country supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.

North Korea is already subject to tough UN Security Council sanctions. The US, South Korea, Japan and the European Union have repeatedly adopted punitive measures against North Korea in recent years.

UN resolutions prohibit the isolated country from carrying out nuclear tests and testing ballistic missiles, which, depending on their design, can be equipped with a nuclear warhead.