Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Thursday that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently being prepared to fight alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine.
He had relevant information from his secret services, Zelensky said at a press conference on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium. Some North Korean officers are already in occupied territory in Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said.
“The first step towards a world war”
Moscow wants to use this to fill gaps in its armed forces. Public opinion in Russia is against the mobilization of young Russians. North Korea would be the first country to support Russia with soldiers, after Iran’s support for Russia with drones and missiles. This would be “the first step towards a world war”.
The Kiev Independent had earlier reported, citing Western diplomats, that North Korea had already sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia to bolster its war effort against Ukraine.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun later described the report as “very likely” and referred to an agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang before parliament in Seoul in June this year.
The mutual defense pact has been concluded
Russia and North Korea agreed on closer cooperation in early 2024. This also includes a mutual defense pact. This is similar to “a military alliance,” Kim said. It was therefore entirely possible that North Korea would also send soldiers to the war in Ukraine, he said at the time.
Source: Krone
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