World
NATO confirms North Korean troops deployed to help Russia in war against Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on Monday that North Korean troops have been sent to help Russia in its war against Ukraine, representing the “growing desperation” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rutte told reporters that increasing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea “is a threat” to Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.
“Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters.
Russia is currently fighting back against a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region.
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North Korean soldiers march in a parade for the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Rutte said the addition of North Korean troops in the conflict represents “a significant escalation” in and marks “a dangerous expansion” of “Russia’s illegal war.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin smile during their meeting at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport outside Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
“Over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war and he is unable to sustain his assault on Ukraine without foreign support,” Rutte said.