NATO, U.S. warn North Korea against sending troops to help Russia
The head of NATO on Tuesday warned that the transfer of North Korean troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine would be a significant escalation.
Around 10,000 North Korean troops are now on the ground in Russia and are likely bound for Ukraine, the Pentagon said Monday.
The North Korean troops are training in eastern Russia and “will probably augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said. “A portion” of the troops have already moved closer to Ukraine, she said.
“We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast near the border with Ukraine,” she added.
Ukrainian forces pushed into Kursk, a region of Russia on Ukraine’s northern border, in August.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday troops had already been deployed in Kursk.
Their presence indicates a “dangerous expansion” in the war in Ukraine and a “significant escalation” in North Korea’s involvement in it. It also violates U.N. Security Council resolutions, he said.
“NATO calls on Russia and the DPRK to cease these actions immediately,” he said in a statement, using the official name of the Democratic People’s Repubic of Korea. “The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.”
More: US, allies say they have evidence of North Korean troops deployed to Ukraine
Rutte said a South Korean delegation briefed the North Atlantic Council and its allies, including Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, on intelligence about the North Korean troops.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last week that the U.S. confirmed North Korean troops are on Russian soil, but stopped short of elaborating on what their role might be in the grinding conflict.
“If they’re co-belligerents, if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf, that is a very, very serious issue,” Austin said.
North Korea has already provided large stockpiles of munitions to fuel Russia’s military as the two countries have strengthened ties in recent months.