WASHINGTON, November 17. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed the strengthening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco, Sarah Beran, Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs at the White House National Security Council, said at an online press briefing.

When asked if the two leaders had discussed the military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, she said that the US side had expressed its focused concerns over strengthened military ties between North Korea and Russia and their implications for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Russia’s commitments under UNSC resolutions and another potential North Korean nuclear test.

According to Beran, Washington has been consistent in raising these concerns and calling on China to seriously consider the impact on regional stability.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink reiterated at the press briefing that the United States was deeply concerned over the growing cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. He said that Washington would continue to discuss these issues with Beijing, as he referred to the situation around the Korean Peninsula and cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed as rumors Washington’s claims that Pyongyang has been sending military assistance to Moscow. On October 26, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on reports about alleged arms deliveries to Russia from North Korea as he said that "there are many such reports, they are all, as a rule, groundless, there are no specifics there."