The United States has refused to confirm a media report that North Korea is producing winter uniforms for the Russian military to earn foreign currency.

In a press briefing on Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price did not give a direct response on a Radio Free Asia(RFA) report from Wednesday claiming that the North has been making clothing and footwear for the Russian military for the last month.

However, he added that the U.S. has said Russia requested military assistance from North Korea, indicating that the U.S. is not fully excluding the possibility.

Price said that Pyongyang and Moscow discussed the supply of a significant number of weapons and North Korea is trying to covertly supply Russia with millions of artillery shells in clear violation of UN Security Council sanctions.

The RFA report from earlier in the week said Russia is providing the raw materials for a large quantity of gear being produced in three factories in Pyongyang and an unspecified number elsewhere, with the finished products to be sent to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.