The United States has blacklisted a network accused of aiding financial payments between Russia and North Korea, two isolated countries that have grown financially and militarily closer amid the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on a network of five groups and one person for enabling payments between Russia and North Korea to support Moscow's war in Ukraine and Pyongyang's weapons programs,

Concerns over deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea over war in Ukraine. Russian lawmaker warns Ukrainian strikes on Russia would lead to nuclear war 15:50 A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia with western weapons would lead to nuclear war and that Moscow’s response would be tough with more powerful weapons.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has implemented the decision of the National Security and Defence Council by imposing new sanctions against six individuals and more than 40 legal entities from Iran,

The U.S. and Britain formally accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. State and Treasury departments announced new sanctions Thursday on five groups and one person said to be involved in illicit payment mechanisms between Russia and North Korea. In a statement issued by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control,

Ukraine imposed restrictions against 40 legal entities from Russia, Iran, and China as well. The sanctions list included Saad Sazeh Faraz Sharif, director of the Iranian company Shakad Sanat Asmari, as well as the heads and deputies of the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

North Korean Foreign Minister met with the Russian Foreign Minister to explore avenues for strengthening cooperation between their countries.

The United States has imposed sanctions against individuals and entities involved in illegal financial transactions between Russia and North Korea, according to the US Department of the Treasury. As noted by the agency,

"The U.S. remains strongly committed to leveraging all our available tools to disrupt this and other schemes intended to support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and enable (North Korea's) illicit access to the international financial system,

The United States on Thursday announced sanctions against five entities and one individual -- based in Russia and a Russian-occupied Georgian region -- for their alleged involvement in illicit financial schemes between Pyongyang and Moscow.