Russia considering shipping 50,000 tons of wheat to N. Korea as humanitarian aid

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he delivers his speech at the plenary session of the Business Russia forum in Moscow, Feb. 6. AP

Russia is considering providing North Korea with 50,000 tons of wheat as humanitarian assistance at the request of Pyongyang, the chief of the Russian Senate's foreign affairs committee was quoted as saying.

Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, made the remark during a meeting with North Korean Ambassador to Russia Kim Hyong-jun on Monday, Tass news agency reported.

"The Russian agencies are considering the request of the Korean side on granting them 50,000 tonnes of wheat to make up for the losses caused by natural disasters last year," Kosachev was quoted as saying. "We hope that a solution will be found."

N. Korea faces serious food insecurity with children taking brunt: UN report 2019-02-13 17:03  |  North Korea
Kosachev said Russia has been providing the North with humanitarian aid both via international organizations and on a bilateral basis and that the country's commitments under the World Food Program, totaling US$8 million, "will be fulfilled in full."

Kosachev also said that trade between the North and Russia is not rising due to sanctions on Pyongyang.

"This, of course, is hampered by the sanctions imposed on the DPRK. The Russian Federation certainly implements the decisions that were introduced by the U.N. Security Council but is strongly against the practice of additional unilateral sanctions that a number of countries are introducing against the DPRK," he was quoted as saying. (Yonhap)