WASHINGTON 

Over 40 UN member states, including the US, on Friday condemned Russia's "unlawful" arms transfers to North Korea in a joint statement.

Russia and North Korea “cannot bury public reporting, including on the unlawful arms transfers from (North Korea) to Russia. Independent experts continue to publish reporting that fills this gap and keeps violations in the public eye," US Deputy to the UN Ambassador Robert Wood told reporters, reading out the joint statement.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms those unlawful transfers, which have significantly contributed to Russia's ability to conduct its war against Ukraine.”

The transfer of ballistic missiles, along with munitions and related materiel, from North Korea to Russia violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions, he said.

On the recent military cooperation deal between Russian and North Korea, Wood said: "We are deeply concerned about the security implications of the advancement of this cooperation for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world."

The member states urged the UN Security Council to fulfill its responsibility to counter the North Korea's threat to international peace and security that undermines the global nonproliferation regime, Wood said.

Earlier this month Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to North Korea, elevating ties with Pyongyang. The two sides pledged to provide military support to each other in case of any aggression.