About 8,000 North Korean troops are near the Ukrainian border, US diplomat says at UN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States expects immoderate 8,000 North Korean troops that are now connected Ukraine’s separator to beryllium sent into combat successful nan coming days, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.

“We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces but we would expect that to hap successful nan coming days,” Blinken said astatine a news convention pinch Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts.

He said Russia has been training North Korean soldiers successful artillery, drones and “basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they afloat intend to usage these forces successful beforehand statement operations.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Biden management said Thursday that it has accusation that immoderate 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now successful Russia’s Kursk region adjacent Ukraine’s separator and preparing to thief nan Kremlin conflict against Ukrainian troops.

In a melodramatic infinitesimal during a U.N. Security Council meeting, nan lawman U.S. ambassador to nan United Nations, Robert Wood, asked for much clip to adhd to earlier comments condemning nan expanding subject practice betwixt Russia and North Korea.

“We conscionable received immoderate information, conscionable coming successful now, that correct now location are immoderate 8,000 DPRK soldiers successful Kursk Oblast,” Wood said, utilizing nan acronym for nan Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, aliases North Korea. The Kremlin’s forces person struggled to push backmost a Ukrainian incursion into Kursk.

“And I person a very respectful mobility for my Russian colleague: does Russia still support that location are nary DPRK troops successful Russia? That’s my only mobility and last point,” he said.

The Russian typical astatine nan meeting, called by Moscow to talk world bid and security, did not respond to nan comment. The convention was past adjourned.

The caller fig from Wood is an melodramatic summation from a time earlier, erstwhile Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would only opportunity “some” of nan troops had moved toward Ukraine’s separator successful nan Kursk region.

That would besides mean astir of nan North Korean troops that nan U.S. and its friends opportunity person been sent to Russia are now connected nan Russia-Ukraine border.

It’s go a cardinal taxable arsenic U.S. and South Korean leaders meet successful Washington, fueling concerns that nan beingness of those soldiers will further destabilize nan Asia-Pacific and broaden Moscow’s warfare connected Ukraine.

“We stay concerned that they’re going to usage these troops successful combat,” Austin said Wednesday.

The U.S. has estimated location are astir 10,000 North Korean troops successful Russia. Seoul and its friends measure that nan number has accrued to 11,000, while Ukraine has put nan fig higher, astatine up to 12,000.

North Korea’s move to tighten its narration pinch Russia has raised concerns astir nan world astir really that whitethorn grow nan warfare and what Russian subject assistance will beryllium delivered successful exchange.

The main questions revolve astir what caller subject technologies North Korea mightiness get from Russia successful speech for nan deployment and whether it mightiness lead different nations to nonstop their ain forces to conflict successful nan war.

Also Thursday, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for nan first clip successful almost a year, demonstrating a imaginable advancement successful its expertise to motorboat long-range atomic attacks connected nan mainland U.S. Some experts speculated that Russia whitethorn person provided technological assistance to North Korea complete nan launch.

As nan gathering successful Washington was underway, nan U.S., South Korea and Japan released a associated connection condemning nan rocket motorboat arsenic a “flagrant violation” of galore U.N. Security Council resolutions and criticizing nan deepening subject practice betwixt North Korea and Russia, peculiarly nan deployment of nan North Korean troops.

“We powerfully impulse (North Korea) to instantly cease its bid of provocative and destabilizing actions that frighten bid and information connected nan Korean Peninsula and beyond,” they said.

Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were holding talks Thursday pinch South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Austin had said a time earlier said North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian instrumentality were advancing toward Ukraine, successful what he called a vulnerable and destabilizing development.

Speaking alongside Kim, Austin said officials are discussing what to do astir nan North Korean deployment, which he acknowledged could “encourage others to return action.” He provided nary details.

Kim said he does not needfully judge nan deployment will trigger warfare connected nan Korean Peninsula but that it could increase information threats.

There is simply a “high possibility” that North Korea would inquire for precocious technologies from Russia successful speech for its troops, specified arsenic receiving tactical atomic and ballistic rocket capabilities, he said done an interpreter.

Russia has had to displacement immoderate resources to nan Kursk separator region to respond to Ukraine’s offensive.

“They’re doing this because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has mislaid a batch of troops,” Austin said, adding that Moscow has a prime betwixt mobilizing much of its ain forces aliases turning to others for help.

North Korea besides has provided munitions to Russia, and earlier this month, nan White House released images it said were of North Korea shipping 1,000 containers of subject equipment location by rail.

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Lederer reported from nan United Nations. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung successful Seoul, South Korea, and Illia Novikov successful Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.