Ukrainian President Heats Up Suspicions of North Korean Soldiers Visiting Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in a video posted on the messaging app Telegram on November 1, called on allies to stop "watching" and take action to address the presence of North Korean troops in Russia before they can start fighting in Ukraine, Reuters reported yesterday.

He said Ukraine had pinpointed all the locations of North Korean troops deployed in Russia, but Western allies had failed to provide Kyiv with the long-range weapons needed to strike.

President Zelensky made the above statement after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 31 that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, including up to 8,000 troops in Russia's Kursk province, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack on August 6.

Ukraine names 3 North Korean generals in Russia, US says 8,000 North Korean soldiers in Kursk

On November 1, the US Department of Defense announced that Washington would provide a new military aid package worth 425 million USD to Ukraine, according to AFP. The Pentagon said the new aid package will provide Ukraine with more capacity to meet its most urgent needs, including interceptor missiles, ammunition for rocket and artillery systems, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.

President of Ukraine Zelensky

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on November 1, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu stressed that the ministry is not directly involved in matters handled by the Ministry of National Defense and will not comment directly on any deployments. However, Kim Jong-gyu added: "If there is something that the world media is talking about, I think it would be an action in compliance with the provisions of international law."

During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on the same day, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui noted that leader Kim Jong-un had affirmed his support for the Russian army and people as early as 2022. Ms. Choe emphasized that Pyongyang is confident that the Russian army under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin will win and North Korea "reaffirms its commitment to always stand by Russia until victory" falls to Russia, according to TASS news agency.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tong-thong-ukraine-lam-nong-nghi-van-binh-si-trieu-tien-den-nga-185241102211143976.htm