NATO confirms that North Korea has sent troops to join Russia’s war in Ukraine

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO connected Monday confirmed that North Korean troops person been sent to thief Russia successful its almost three-year war against Ukraine and said immoderate person already been deployed successful Russia’s Kursk separator region, wherever Russia has been struggling to push backmost a Ukrainian incursion.

“Today, I tin corroborate that North Korean troops person been sent to Russia, and that North Korean subject units person been deployed to nan Kursk region,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters.

Rutte said that nan move represents “a important escalation” successful North Korea’s engagement successful nan conflict and marks “a vulnerable description of Russia’s war.”

Adding thousands of North Korean soldiers to Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II will heap much unit connected Ukraine’s weary and overstretched army. It will besides stoke geopolitical tensions successful nan Korean Peninsula and nan wider Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia, Western officials say.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to reshape world powerfulness dynamics. He sought to build a counterbalance to Western power pinch a summit of BRICS countries, including nan leaders of China and India, successful Russia past week. He has sought nonstop thief for nan warfare from Iran, which has supplied drones, and North Korea, which has shipped ample amounts of ammunition, according to Western governments.

Ukraine, whose defenses are nether terrible Russian unit successful its eastbound Donetsk region, could get much bleak news from adjacent week’s U.S. statesmanlike election. A Donald Trump triumph could see cardinal U.S. subject thief dwindle.

In Moscow, nan Defense Ministry announced Monday that Russian troops person captured nan Donetsk colony of Tsukuryne — nan latest colony to succumb to the slow-moving Russian onslaught.

Rutte said successful Brussels aft a high-level South Korean delegation, including apical intelligence and subject officials arsenic good arsenic elder diplomats, briefed nan alliance’s 32 nationalist ambassadors astatine NATO headquarters.

Rutte said NATO is “actively consulting wrong nan alliance, pinch Ukraine, and pinch our Indo-Pacific partners,” connected developments. He said he was owed to talk soon pinch South Korea’s president and Ukraine’s defense minister.

“We proceed to show nan business closely,” he said. He did not return questions aft nan statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing intelligence reports, claimed past Friday that North Korean troops would beryllium on nan battlefield wrong days.

He antecedently said his authorities has accusation that immoderate 10,000 troops from North Korea were being readied to subordinate Russian forces fighting against his country.

Days earlier Zelenskyy spoke, American and South Korean officials said location was grounds North Korea had dispatched troops to Russia.

The U.S. said astir 3,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia for training.

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Follow AP’s sum of nan warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine