The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations have again called on Russia and North Korea to “immediately cease” military cooperation, amid expectations that Vladimir Putin could visit Pyongyang for a summit this week.

The leaders of the G7 countries met in Apulia, Italy on Friday to discuss the “pressing challenges of our time,” including ongoing arms trade between Moscow and Pyongyang, among other issues. 

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including North Korea’s export and Russia’s procurement of North Korean ballistic missiles in direct violation of relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions, as well as Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine,” the leaders said in a statement published on Friday.

“We are also deeply concerned about the potential for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missiles-related technology to North Korea, in violation of the relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions,” the leaders continued, adding that they “strongly condemn North Korea’s choice” to prioritize its weapons programs over its people’s welfare and demand that it abandons these programs.

The countries also reiterated their “deep disappointment” with Russia’s decision to veto the mandate of the U.N. Panel of Experts overseeing DPRK sanctions in March, reiterating their intention to strengthen sanctions enforcement as questions linger over creating a replacement for the Panel at the U.N.

The G7’s call for North Korea and Russia to stop trading arms comes as signs point to a possible meeting between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week.

The G7 previously condemned arms trade between North Korea and Russia in Nov. 2023. Since then, there have been no signs of DPRK-Russia military cooperation slowing down. 

At the time, the U.S. had alleged that North Korea shipped military equipment from its port of Rason to a secure military port in the Russian Far East. 

Since then, further evidence has emerged of their bilateral arms trade in support of Russia’s invasion, including analysis of missile debris that indicates Russia has used North Korean ballistic missiles against targets in Ukraine.

While it’s unclear what North Korea has received in return for sending arms to Russia, Putin expressed a willingness to help the DPRK build satellites when he met with Kim in the Russian Far East in September. 

South Korean defense minister Shin Won-sik also told Bloomberg News that the DPRK used Russia’s latest space rocket technology in its most recent attempt to put a military spy satellite in space last month, after experts previously raised the possibility given North Korea’s announcement that it used a new engine and fuel mix in the launch.

Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, a project assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, told NK News that there’s little the G7 could have done to prevent Pyongyang from selling its arms to Moscow because “North Korea and Russia’s isolation in the international community has been one of the key drivers to their evolving relationship.”

“Condemnations and sanctions can show unity against the relationship, but this would ironically drive the two closer,” the expert said, adding that Moscow-Pyongyang relations will only grow in the near future.

“So far, the North Korea-Russia relationship has been one of convenience, and neither side has shown any gestures of moving toward a collective defense agreement. Still, Pyongyang will seek to deepen the economic and military cooperation aspects to benefit as much as they can, including military and space technologies, energy and transport infrastructure.”

Edited by Bryan Betts