The involvement of North Korean troops in Russia’s war against Ukraine requires “a firm response”, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after attending a meeting on Wednesday (13) in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
(RFI) The US government claims that North Korean soldiers are deployed in combat operations in Russia’s Kursk region, where the Ukrainian Army began an offensive in August and occupies part of the area.
“We had a meeting about support for Ukraine (…) and this new element of North Korean troops now almost literally in combat. That demands and will get a firm response,” said Blinken.
According to Kiev, around 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to confront Ukrainian battalions in this strategic border region, which was taken by surprise by the Ukrainian army. The aim of this operation is to establish a relationship of strength with Moscow in a possible ceasefire negotiation. North Korean troops have been involved in the conflict, but not yet on Ukrainian territory.
Earlier this week, North Korea ratified a historic defense treaty with Russia. The pact sealed increasingly close military cooperation between the two countries, allies during the Cold War. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui recently traveled to Moscow, where she said that her country would “stand firmly by the Russian comrades until the day of victory”.
Pyongyang has been supplying Russia with anti-tank missiles and portable surface-to-air missiles, as well as rifles, rockets, mortars, grenades and other ammunition.
Blinken denounces collaboration between China and Iran
In Brussels, Blinken also denounced China’s collaboration with Russia in its “war effort” against Ukraine, as well as Iran. He insisted that it is essential to contain the globalization of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through an effort to “work more closely”.
“In recent years, NATO has strengthened its links with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, and we will intensify these links in the coming weeks and months,” he said.
In a joint statement released on Friday, NATO and US allies – Australia, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand – and Ukraine “strongly” condemned the deployment of North Korean troops on Russian territory. South Korea has already signaled that it could increase arms supplies to Ukraine, so that Kiev can defend itself in this new phase of the war and Trump’s return to the White House.
In the Belgian capital, Blinken will also meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiga, the current head of European Union (EU) diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and his designated successor, Kaja Kallas.
At the confirmation hearing in the European Parliament, Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, emphasized on Tuesday that the EU must maintain its support for Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.
Preparing the ground for Trump’s promised funding cuts
Blinken’s trip to Brussels comes at a time when Kiev and its European allies fear that US President-elect Donald Trump will cut off aid to the country. Trump has already spoken by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky. According to The Washington Post, he has also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin, although the Kremlin has denied any talks between the two.
During the election campaign, Trump promised to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in just one day, even before taking office. But he didn’t explain how he would achieve the goal. He also suggested that his government could limit its billion-dollar aid to Ukraine, questioning the spending because, according to him, the war is at a “standstill”.
Joe Biden’s administration is trying to speed up the transfer of arms and funding to Ukraine. The Democrat has made it clear that he plans to advance in the remaining weeks of his term US$9.2 billion in funds already approved in Congress for arms and other forms of security assistance to Ukraine.
“Our approach remains the same as it has been for the last two and a half years, which is to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that ultimately it’s in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table,” Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told CBS News’ ‘Face The Nation’ program.
Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice to succeed Blinken, said in a recent interview that the United States must recognize that the war in Ukraine has reached an impasse and that it should demonstrate “pragmatism” regarding future military support.
Russia intensifies attacks on Kiev
On the eastern Ukrainian front, Russia conquered hundreds of square kilometers in October and is threatening strategically important cities such as Pokrovsk. In addition, since the beginning of October, the Russian army has intensified its drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital.
On Wednesday, Moscow’s troops went even further and launched this type of device alongside missiles.
“The Russian Armed Forces carried out a combined missile and drone attack on Kiev for the first time in 73 days,” said the capital’s military administration.
The attack lasted more than two hours, but caused no casualties thanks to anti-aircraft defense systems, the military authorities added.
With AFP