North Korean soldiers are in Russia’s Kursk, says Nato chief Mark Rutte
Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion into Kursk in August and remain in the region
28 October 2024 - 15:39
byAndrew Gray and Yuliia Dysa
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Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Picture: YVES HERMAN/REUTERS
Brussels, Belgium — Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed on Monday that North Korean troops had been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units had been deployed to the Kursk region.
“The deepening military co-operation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security,” Rutte told reporters after Nato officials and diplomats received a briefing by a South Korean delegation.
Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion into Kursk in August and remain in the region.
Rutte said the North Korean deployment represented “a significant escalation” of Pyongyang’s involvement in “Russia’s illegal war” in Ukraine, a breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a “dangerous expansion” of the war.
Rutte said the deployment of North Korean troops was a sign of “growing desperation” on the part of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war and he is unable to sustain his assault on Ukraine without foreign support,” Rutte said.
The Kremlin had dismissed reports about a North Korean troop deployment as “fake news”. But Putin on Thursday did not deny that North Korean troops were currently in Russia and said that it was Moscow’s business how to implement a partnership treaty with Pyongyang.
A North Korean representative to the UN in New York called the reports “groundless rumours”.
Ukraine’s top presidential official said on Monday that sanctions would not be a sufficient response to North Korean involvement in the war, and called for more Western arms supplies to Kyiv.
“North Korean troops are already in the Kursk region … This is an escalation. Sanctions alone are not enough. We need weapons and a clear plan to prevent North Korea’s expanded involvement in the war in Europe,” Andriy Yermak, the president’s chief of staff, said on X.
He added that Ukraine’s Western allies should respond firmly since “the enemy understands strength”.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
North Korean soldiers are in Russia’s Kursk, says Nato chief Mark Rutte
Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion into Kursk in August and remain in the region
Brussels, Belgium — Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed on Monday that North Korean troops had been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units had been deployed to the Kursk region.
“The deepening military co-operation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security,” Rutte told reporters after Nato officials and diplomats received a briefing by a South Korean delegation.
Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion into Kursk in August and remain in the region.
Rutte said the North Korean deployment represented “a significant escalation” of Pyongyang’s involvement in “Russia’s illegal war” in Ukraine, a breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a “dangerous expansion” of the war.
Rutte said the deployment of North Korean troops was a sign of “growing desperation” on the part of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war and he is unable to sustain his assault on Ukraine without foreign support,” Rutte said.
The Kremlin had dismissed reports about a North Korean troop deployment as “fake news”. But Putin on Thursday did not deny that North Korean troops were currently in Russia and said that it was Moscow’s business how to implement a partnership treaty with Pyongyang.
A North Korean representative to the UN in New York called the reports “groundless rumours”.
Ukraine’s top presidential official said on Monday that sanctions would not be a sufficient response to North Korean involvement in the war, and called for more Western arms supplies to Kyiv.
“North Korean troops are already in the Kursk region … This is an escalation. Sanctions alone are not enough. We need weapons and a clear plan to prevent North Korea’s expanded involvement in the war in Europe,” Andriy Yermak, the president’s chief of staff, said on X.
He added that Ukraine’s Western allies should respond firmly since “the enemy understands strength”.
Reuters
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