EU responds to North Korea for sending "large-scale" troops to Russia

EU responds to North Korea for sending “large-scale” troops to Russia

The EU has warned North Korea that there will be a response if Pyongyang intervenes in Ukraine. The warning is contained in the conclusions that emerged at the end of the European Council summit on 17 October, during which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke. The leader of Kiev denounced that, according to intelligence information, over 11 thousand North Korean soldiers are training in eastern Russia and are expected to be ready to fight against Ukraine by November 1 alongside Russian troops. A signal, according to European diplomacy, of the need for Vladimir Putin to reinforce his troops with foreign soldiers and proof that he has no intention of sitting honestly at the peace negotiating table.

The EU’s response to Pyongyang

In reality, North Korea is not expressly mentioned in the conclusions that emerged on the night between 17 and 18 October. “The European Council strongly condemns the continuing support for Russia’s war of aggression by third countries and urges the latter to cease all forms of assistance”, reads the final text. “This includes not only direct military support, but also the supply of dual-use goods and sensitive products that support Russia’s military industrial base,” the heads of the 27 member states specified. The only state to be specifically mentioned is Iran. “In coordination with international partners, the European Union has responded rapidly to this threat to European and global security, including with a package of significant new restrictive measures against Iran, which includes the designation of persons and entities involved in Iranian programs related to ballistic missiles and drones”, underlines one of the points of the summit conclusions.

Moscow escalates the war by involving its allies

EU spokesperson Peter Stano was more explicit about Pyongyang’s involvement in a meeting with the press at the end of the European Council. “We have noted reports of possible involvement of North Korean troops in Ukraine. If confirmed, this would represent a significant increase in military relations with Russia, further defying international law, and demonstrating once again that Russia is escalating the war and its aggression with the active participation of its allies,” the spokesperson highlighted.

At least 10 thousand North Korean soldiers will fight in Ukraine

Stano expressed concern about the intensification of this political and military collaboration between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Korea’s Kim Jong Un. According to European diplomacy, this move, if confirmed, would be a demonstration of Moscow’s dishonesty regarding its willingness to reopen peace negotiations. “Russia desperately seeks any help for its unlawful aggression, including from actors who are seriously undermining global peace and security,” Stano added.

North Korean soldiers trained by Russians

North Korea’s involvement alongside Moscow has been recorded since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. First with the sending of weapons and missiles, now the help would take the form of the supply of military personnel. At least 10,000 North Korean infantry soldiers are currently present in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia to receive military training and fight in the Kremlin’s army. The news was reported in recent days by Kyiv Post based on information provided by the Gur, the Ukrainian military intelligence service, which had already previously reported the arrival among the Russian ranks of a small contingent of North Korean military personnel, in particular an engineering unit.

The deployment of North Korean soldiers on the border between Russia and Ukraine would allow Moscow to free up its personnel for other tasks, Gur officials said. According to Zelensky, Russia’s goal is to replenish the ranks of its army, thinned by heavy losses in over two years of conflict. The Kremlin has currently denied the presence of the North Korean military on the territories under its control, while NATO has so far not confirmed the news.

The head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, predicts that these troops will be ready for combat starting November 1, using Russian equipment and ammunition. “The first unit of 2,600 soldiers will be deployed in the Kursk Oblast to face the Ukrainian counter-invasion. “At the moment we do not have the full picture of the situation,” Budanov added in an interview with The War Zone.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing Seoul’s spy agency, clarified today that South Korea learned that as many as four brigades, including special forces, would be sent to Russia.