Top US general describes Putin with 'tin cup in hand' asking North Korea for munitions

Vladimir Putin has approached North Korea "with a tin cup in hand asking for weapons munitions and support" amid Russia's war in Ukraine, Gen. Mark Milley told ABC News

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approached North Korea "with a tin cup in hand asking for weapons munitions and support" amid his country's invasion of Ukraine, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC News' Martha Raddatz in a new interview.

However, Milley believes that if Russia succeeds in obtaining arms from North Korea, he doubts it will "make a substantive difference" in the war in Ukraine.

Raddatz's exit interview with Milley, who is retiring, will air on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

Putin is set to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming days to talk "bilateral relations," according to Moscow.

On Monday, North Korea’s state news agency confirmed that Kim would meet with Putin in Russia and a South Korean official told ABC News that Kim was Traveling by train to Vladivostok in eastern Russia for the expected meeting with Putin.

Putin is thought to be seeking ammunition from North Korea for Russia's howitzer artillery as it burns through its supply of rounds being used in the war in Ukraine. U.S. officials believe that in return, Russia may offer weapons Technology that could assist North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

MORE: Ukraine's slow-going counteroffensive against Russia building momentum: ANALYSIS

PHOTO: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley interviewed by ABC News' Martha Raddatz at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2023.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley interviewed by ABC News' Martha Raddatz at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2023.
Nathan Luna/ABC News

U.S. officials have seized on the trip as evidence, they argue, of Putin's weakness as his war grinds on.

Speaking with Raddatz, Milley described how Putin's request of Kim "is an inverse of their previous relationship, which is pretty fascinating."

He noted that North Korea and Russia have had strategic ties dating back to the end of World War II,"so it's not a surprise that they have a relationship."

"Now, because of the war in Ukraine, Russia is having all kinds of challenges and one of their challenges is in munitions," Milley said.

"He'll probably get something," Milley said of Putin, when asked by Raddatz what he might obtain from the meeting. "I'm not sure how much or how fast, but he'll probably get something out of the North Koreans."

"But I don't know that they're gonna get so much that it'll make a substantive difference," Milley added.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gas stove procedural defeat puts the fragility of McCarthy's speakership on full display

Image
The revolt of 11 Republicans to join Democrats in striking down a procedural first step on gas stove legislation shows the fragility of McCarthy's speakership. The gas stove debate is boiling over, but it's Kevin McCarthy's speakership that may have been burned. A procedural first step to take up GOP-backed legislation to prohibit the federal government from banning gas stove s failed Tuesday afternoon -- at the hands of 12 GOP lawmakers. It was merely the first opportunity for House Freedom Caucus members dissatisfied with McCarthy and President Joe Biden's debt limit deal to revolt publicly against the speaker, joining 208 Democrats to vote down the rule. MORE: Why debt ceiling bill is a major test of Kevin McCarthy's leadership While it may be wonky, this procedural hurdle puts the fragility of McCarthy's speakership on full display. "We're not going to live in the era of the imperial speaker anymore," GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz told reporters...
Read more

Biden says Putin is losing 'war in Iraq' -- not Ukraine -- in latest gaffe

Image
Twice in 24 hours Biden misspoke when discussing the Ukraine-Russia war. Twice in 24 hours President Joe Biden misspoke when discussing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, referring to it instead as the war "in Iraq." The first apparent gaffe occurred Tuesday when Biden was courting Democratic donors at a fundraiser in Chevy Chase, Maryland. "Think about this: If anybody told you -- and my staff wasn't so sure, either -- that we'd be able to bring all of Europe together in the onslaught on Iraq and get NATO to be completely united, I think they would have told you it's not likely," Biden said. "The one thing Putin counted on was being able to split NATO." MORE: Russian military leaders were aware of Prigozhin's mutiny plan: US officials The second mistake happened Wednesday as Biden departed Washington for Chicago, where he delivered a major speech on his economic philosophy. On the South Lawn, Biden was asked about whether Russia's V...
Read more

Blockbuster Supreme Court decisions to come on student loans, affirmative action and more

Image
The justices will hand down their next round of opinions on Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. The Supreme Court has left this term's blockbuster decisions for last, with rulings expected this week on student loans , affirmative action and more. The justices will hand down their next round of opinions on Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. There are 10 total cases remaining from the term that began back in October. Their rulings will decide the fate of millions of Americans with federal student loans, a 40-year precedent of race-conscious college admissions processes, how federal elections are run in the U.S. and LGBTQ+ rights. MORE: Chief Justice John Roberts defends Supreme Court's 'highest standards of conduct,' offers no new rules Already this term, the Supreme Court has weighed in on cases involving the Voting Rights Act, the Biden administration's deportation policy, the Indian Child Welfare Act and social media liability. Here's a closer look at four major issues left to...
Read more