Russia Ukraine war live: Kyiv outraged by UN chief’s ‘trip to meet Putin’ as Russian commander killed with hammer

North Korea has claimed reports it has sent soldiers to fight with Russia against Ukraine are “groundless rumors,” the South Korean Yonhap news agency has reported, citing a North Korean representative to the United Nations.

The statement is Pyongyang’s first public reaction to multiple reports of such a deployment from Kyiv and Seoul.

The representative said during a session of the U.N. General Assembly First Committee on disarmament and international security: “As for the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not feel any need for comment on such groundless stereotyped rumors aimed at smearing the image of the DPRK and undermining the legitimate, friendly and cooperative relations between two sovereign states.”

British defence minister John Healey said on Tuesday it was now highly likely that North Korea had begun sending hundreds of troops to help Russia in the Ukraine conflict.

“In a concerning new development, it is now highly likely that the transfer of hundreds of combat troops from North Korea to Russia has begun,” Healey told parliament.

“North Korean soldiers supporting Russia’s war of aggression on European soil – it is as shocking as it is desperate.”

The British government has been urged to declare North Korea a combatant in the Ukraine war over allegations troops are supporting Russia.

Shadow foreign office minister Alicia Kearns told the Commons during oral questions: “In the last week, troops have arrived from North Korea in Russia. They are training in Russian fatigues based on videos we have seen.

“In addition, we know that Russia has procured multiple weapons to aid the murder of Ukrainians from North Korea. (Vladimir) Putin has seized the escalation ladder, so will the minister now not declare North Korea a combatant in the renewed illegal invasion of Ukraine…and confirm what unilateral, multilateral action he will be taking in response to this?”

Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty replied: “We absolutely condemn what North Korea is reported to have been doing, and indeed, of course, you’ll have seen in the response to the Iranian transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia that we acted strongly, swiftly and firmly.

“And we are very closely monitoring what Russia is providing to the DPRK in return for its provision of arms and military personnel and we are deeply concerned about the potential for further transfers, including of ballistic missile related technology that would obviously jeopardise peace and stability, not only in Ukraine, but indeed across the world.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan on Tuesday that his nation stands ready to play “whatever role is required for peace.”

Putin believes the pair have a strategic partnership.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had taken control of the Novosadove settlement in eastern Ukraine, the state-run news agency TASS reported on Tuesday.

A former CIA chief has said that the US government’s latest package in support of Ukraine is not enough to prevent Russia from making advances.

The package, announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during his visit to Kyiv on 21 October 2024, includes armoured vehicles and anti-tank weapons for Ukrainian forces on the front lines.

General David Petraeus said on CNN: “It comes on top of tens of billions of dollars, of course, from the U.S. and from various European and other Western countries. Is it enough? I fear not.”

Petraeus recommended easing restrictions on tactical missile systems for Ukraine, which would enable strikes deeper into Russian territory. He also advocated for increased international attention to the Black Sea, citing Ukraine’s naval limitations.

He continued: “What we need to be doing, all of us together, is to try to enable Ukraine to stop the Russian advances on the front lines. They’re holding back very effectively, but the Russians are achieving incremental gains on a daily basis. And over time, that does accumulate.

“We have to help Ukraine change that dynamic and show Putin that he cannot continue to make advances and make gains and accept the costs because only when you change that dynamic will we see an opportunity for real, meaningful discussions about a ceasefire.

“Until then, Putin has every incentive to continue.”

Overnight drone attacks by Ukraine caused an explosion and a fire at an ethanol manufacturing plant and damaged two other alcohol-producing enterprises in Russia, the authorities said.

One explosion shook the Bio-Khim biochemical plant in Russia’s Tambov region, sparking a short-lived fire, Tambov Governor Maxim Yegorov said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, the governor of the Tula region, which borders Moscow to its north, said Ukrainian drones damaged two distilleries, in the town of Yefremov and the village of Luzhkovskyi. There were no reports of casualties.

Russia’s defence ministry said that its air defence units destroyed a total of 18 Ukrainian drones, but it did not mention Tambov in its tally.

South Korea may consider supplying weapons directly to Ukraine in response to growing military ties between North Korea and Russia, officials stated on Tuesday.

This follows ongoing accusations that Pyongyang has deployed troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.

A senior official from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said the government is preparing diplomatic, economic, and military responses to various scenarios of North Korea-Russia military cooperation. These responses could include providing Ukraine with lethal weapons if the situation escalates.

“We are considering supplying defensive weapons as part of a phased approach, and if necessary, we may also consider offensive measures,” the official told reporters.

The remarks followed an emergency meeting of South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) to discuss North Korea’s increasing military cooperation with Russia. The NSC condemned Pyongyang for sending troops to fight as “Russia’s mercenaries,” accusing the regime of neglecting its people’s well-being and human rights.

The senior official also mentioned that a team of intelligence and defence officials would visit NATO headquarters “within the coming days” after NATO chief Mark Rutte urged President Yoon in a Monday phone call to send a delegation to strengthen information-sharing efforts.

Both Russia and North Korea have denied any arms transfers but have committed to deepening military cooperation.

Three people including a child were killed in a Russian drone strike on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, officials said on Tuesday.

The attack targeted a residential neighbourhood and critical infrastructure, regional governor Ihor Kalchenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

In a statement, the Ukrainian military said air defences had destroyed 42 out of 60 drones launched by Russia overnight across various parts of Ukraine.

Pictures from the strike are yet to emerge but we will share them as they come in.