Russian President Vladimir Putin is dependent on support from abroad for his war of aggression against Ukraine. “More than 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war, and he is unable to sustain his attack on Ukraine without foreign support,” Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in Brussels. Rutte said NATO could confirm reports of North Korean troops being sent to Russia.
Rutte said he could confirm that North Korean troops had been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units had been stationed in the embattled Russian region of Kursk, after NATO representatives had been briefed on relevant information by a South Korean delegation. The deployment of North Korean troops means a significant escalation of the Russian war against Ukraine. “Deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security,” Rutte said. NATO is monitoring the situation closely.
