WASHINGTON (AA) – Russia is “exploring arrangements” with North Korea to procure weapons to aid its offensive against Ukraine, the State Department said Thursday.

Russia, “perhaps out of desperation,” has been turning to a series of countries, including Iran and North Korea, to procure “the wares that it is unable to produce or to acquire through other means,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

“Some of this is a reflection of the export controls of the sanctions of the economic trips that we’ve imposed on Russia,” he told reporters. “The fact is that they don’t have the ability to organically produce, to import, the key inputs that they need, and so they’re turning to Iran, they’re exploring arrangements with North Korea.”

His comments came after the White House said in early September that Russia began the process to buy millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea to support its war effort.

The US assessment of Russia’s purchases was based on declassified US intelligence. It offered few details on the exact arms Russia was in the process of purchasing.

It is unclear what additional arms or technologies Russia may be seeking from North Korea following Price’s comments.