He believes it shows that President Vladimir Putin is becoming increasingly desperate.
– The deployment of North Korean forces to Kursk is a sign of Putin’s growing desperation, says Rutte.
He calls it a significant escalation of North Korea’s involvement in the conflict and “a dangerous extension of Russia’s war”. Furthermore, he says that Russia and North Korea are dangerous both for Europe and the region by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
– The increasing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to security, he said at a press conference in Brussels on Monday.
– No limits
The US Department of Defense will not confirm that North Korean soldiers are in Kursk, but told reporters on Monday that they believe the soldiers are heading in that direction.
The Pentagon estimates that around 10,000 North Korean soldiers are undergoing training in eastern Russia, and that some of these have been sent closer to Ukraine.
– There are no limits to how Ukraine can use American weapons against North Korean forces if they participate in Russia’s war, says a statement.
Several other countries also believe that North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers for training in Russia.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said earlier on Monday that North Korean soldiers could be sent to Ukraine earlier than expected.
Requires grip
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is demanding a stronger response from Western leaders following the reports of North Korean military support for Russia.
In August, Ukrainian soldiers moved into the Russian Kursk region and took control of several villages. The aim is said to have been, among other things, to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position, as well as to get Russia to move soldiers from the front in eastern Ukraine. However, that has not happened.
Ukraine has previously claimed that North Korean soldiers are always fighting at the front.
South Korea claims North Korea is planning to send as many as 12,000 troops to help Russia in its war against Ukraine.
At Monday’s press conference in Brussels, Rutte claimed that 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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