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US Aware of Reports on Ukraine Providing Rocket Technology to North Korea

© Sputnik / Iliya Pitalev / Go to the mediabankMilitary parade in North Korea
Military parade in North Korea - Sputnik International
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US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that the United States is aware of reports that Ukraine transferred sensitive rocket technology to North Korea.

On July 4, Pyongyang announced the successful launch of its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-14, which traveled 933 kilometers (580 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan. Two days after, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that the United States was prepared to use the full range of capabilities, including military options, to defend the country and its allies against North Korea. - Sputnik International
Ukraine's Space Agency Head Doubts Any Confidential Info Leaked to North Korea
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is aware of reports that Ukraine transferred sensitive rocket technology to North Korea but believes the country has a very strong non-proliferation record, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

"We're certainly aware of those reports that have come out. That's an issue that we would take very seriously if that were to be the case," Nauert told reporters. "As a general matter we don't comment on intelligence reports. Ukraine, though, we have to say has a very strong non-proliferation record, and that includes specifically with respect to the DPRK."

The State Department spokesperson was referring to a report in the New York Times on Monday that said Pyongyang may be using engines from Ukraine for its missiles.

Nauert noted that United Nations Security Council resolutions obligate all nations, including Ukraine, to prevent transfers of sensitive technology to Ukraine.

She added that in the past, Kiev has prevented shipments of sensitive materials to nations where such transfers would raise concerns.

The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense - Sputnik International
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Pentagon Declines to Comment on Reports of Ukraine Selling Arms to N Korea
On Monday, The New York Times reported that North Korea may have achieved its rapid progress toward developing an intercontinental ballistic missile by purchasing rocket engines from Ukraine on the black market.

The article, which cited a classified assessment by US intelligence agencies, as well as a recent study by Michael Elleman, senior fellow for missile defense with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, suggested that Pyongyang may be using a modified RD-250 high-performance liquid-propellant engine (LPE) for its latest missiles.

The same types of missiles were in the past developed at Ukraine's state-owned Yuzhmash and Russia’s Energomash company. The article quoted Elleman as saying that the engines for the North Korean missiles probably came from Ukraine illicitly.

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