North Korean troops appearance in Europe—a historic turning point, but for all the wrong reasons, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned in Politico.
This deployment marks the first time since the 1953 Korean War armistice that North Korean forces have engaged in combat operations—and their first-ever military presence on European soil.
“These deepening military and economic ties between a reckless Russia and an emboldened North Korea don’t just threaten Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, they are deeply dangerous for global security,” he wrote.
Rutte pointed to two critical developments: North Korea’s weapons supply to Russia and the deployment of troops to Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
“This dangerous expansion of the conflict escalates the war and demonstrates that our security is not regional, it is global,” he noted.
Rutte pointed to Putin’s mounting war costs, with daily losses of approximately 1,200 personnel, exceeding 600,000 since February 2022.
The NATO chief stressed that support for Ukraine must increase substantially beyond current levels.
“We need to raise the cost for Putin and his authoritarian allies,” Rutte maintained.
He concluded that supporting Ukraine represents only a fraction of NATO’s annual military budgets—a small price for peace. “The real question is: can we afford not to?”
According to Ukraine’s military intelligence, approximately 11,000 North Korean soldiers are currently training in eastern Russia for deployment against Ukraine. South Korean intelligence has corroborated reports that Russia is preparing North Korean special forces for combat in Ukraine.
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