The United States (U.S.) expects that North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia’s Kursk region will engage in combat against Ukraine in the coming days, stated U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging China to use its influence to rein in Pyongyang.
Blinken spoke following North Korea’s longest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile test, as South Korea warned that Pyongyang might receive missile technology from Russia in exchange for assistance in the war in Ukraine.
The U.S. Secretary of State noted that there are 10.000 North Korean soldiers in Russia, including up to 8.000 in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces continue to hold territory after breaking into the Russian border area in August.
At a press conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts, Blinken stated that Russia is training North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones, and basic infantry operations, indicating that they “fully intend” to use these forces in front-line operations.
These forces would become legitimate military targets if they entered the battlefield, Blinken said.
“We have yet to see these troops deployed in combat against Ukrainian forces, but we expect that to happen in the coming days,” he said.
During the meeting, the U.S. and South Korea discussed a range of response options, Blinken added, saying that Moscow’s use of North Korean soldiers in its war against Ukraine as “cannon fodder” represents a “clear sign of weakness.”
Austin stated that the U.S. would announce new security assistance for Ukraine in the coming days.
E.Dz.
