Washington/Brussels: The United States will not impose additional restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American weapons if North Korea actively joins Russia’s war effort, the Pentagon stated Monday. This announcement comes as NATO confirms that North Korean military units have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, sparking Western concerns that North Korea’s involvement could further intensify the 2.5-year-long conflict in Ukraine.
The presence of North Korean forces may signal Russia’s intent to offset its mounting battlefield losses while maintaining a slow advance in eastern Ukraine. “The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security,” said NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, following high-level discussions with a South Korean delegation on North Korea’s deployment.
Pentagon estimates suggest around 10,000 North Korean troops have moved to eastern Russia for training purposes, an increase from the estimated 3,000 troops reported last week. “A portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, and 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,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
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On Thursday, Ukrainian military intelligence reported sightings of North Korean units in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been operating since an incursion in August. While the Pentagon did not confirm the current presence of North Korean soldiers in Kursk, Singh stated, “It is likely that they are moving in that direction towards Kursk. But I don’t have more details just yet.”
Kyiv has repeatedly warned of the North Korean deployments, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urging Western allies to take a stronger stance. “The bottom line: listen to Ukraine. The solution: lift restrictions on our long-range strikes against Russia now,” Sybiha posted on X.
Initially, the Kremlin dismissed reports of North Korean troop movements as “fake news”. However, President Vladimir Putin recently declined to deny North Korean involvement, asserting that Moscow has the autonomy to implement its partnership agreement with Pyongyang. Meanwhile, a North Korean foreign ministry official refrained from confirming the troop deployment but suggested that, if it were true, it would align with international standards.
The North Korean deployment marks what NATO’s Rutte referred to as a “growing desperation” in Russia’s leadership. “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 remarked.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, emphasized that sanctions alone would not suffice as a response to North Korea’s potential involvement. “We need weapons and a clear plan to prevent North Korea’s expanded involvement,” Yermak added, urging allies to leverage their collective strength.
