Ukraine has been hit by a surge in Russian ballistic missile attacks, about a third of which used North Korean weapons that can only fly because they run on Western circuitry, obtained despite sanctions,

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States and Ukraine’s other partners that the weapon could be deployed against their interests as well.

At the center of an escalating arms race, Ukraine wants to join the ranks of a select group of countries that can produce ballistic missiles. This week, Kyiv struck Russia for the first time with long-range missiles supplied by the West,

Pyongyang has long coveted an advanced air-defense system to guard against missiles and war planes from the United States and South Korea.

The U.S., South Korea and others say North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington’s “unchangeable” hostility toward his country and described his nuclear buildup as the only way