The White House has said that at least 3000 North Korean soldiers arrived in eastern Russia in October and are currently undergoing training there, adding there is a “highly concerning probability” they will join the fight against Ukraine.
While addressing a press briefing on Wednesday (local time), White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said, “We have seen the public reporting indicating that North Korean soldiers are travelling to Russia to fight against Ukraine. We’re working closely with our allies and partners to gain a full understanding of this situation, but today, I’m prepared to share what we know at this stage. We assess that between early- to mid-October, North Korea moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia.”
“We assessed that these soldiers travelled by ship from the Wonsan area in North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia. These soldiers then travelled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia where they are currently undergoing training. We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military but, this is a certainly a highly concerning probability. After completing training, these soldiers could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military,” he added.
Kirby said the US has briefed the Ukrainian government on their understanding of the situation and the former continues to monitor the situation closely. He stressed that if North Korea enters into the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, it will showcase Russia’s growing desperation in the war.
He said, “We have briefed the Ukrainian government on our understanding of this situation, and we’re certainly consulting closely with other allies, partners, and countries in the region on the implications of such a dramatic move and on how we might respond.I expect to have more to share on all of that in the coming days. For the time being, we will continue to monitor the situation closely. But let’s be clear, if North Korean soldiers do enter into combat, this development would demonstrate Russia’s growing desperation in its war against Ukraine.”
Kirby said that Russia is suffering extraordinary casualties every single day in its ongoing war against Ukraine. However, he noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears intent on continuing the conflict with Ukraine.
Stressing that Russia’s cooperation with North Korea’s military was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, John Kirby said, “Russia is suffering extraordinary casualties on the battlefield every single day, but President Putin appears intent on continuing this war. If Russia is indeed forced to turn to North Korea for manpower, this would be a sign of weakness, not strength, on the part of the Kremlin.”
“It would also demonstrate an unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea with security implications in Europe as well as the Indo-Pacific. As we have said before, Russia’s cooperation with the North Korean military is in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions which prohibit the procurement of arms from North Korea and military arms training. This move is likewise a violation,” he added.
Senior White House official also spoke about the US assistance to Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia. He said that the US is on track to provide Ukraine with additional air defence interceptors, tactical air defence systems, artillery, ammunition, armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and armoured vehicles.
Highlighting US’ security assistance for Ukraine amid the ongoing war, Kirby said, “At President Biden’s direction, the United States continues to surge security assistance to Ukraine. In just the past week, which I think you’ve seen, the United States has announced more than USD 800 million in security assistance to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs.”
“Now, looking ahead, the United States is on track to provide Ukraine with hundreds of additional air defence interceptors, dozens of tactical air defence systems, additional artillery, significant quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armoured vehicles, all of which will help keep Ukraine effective on the battlefield,” he added.
He also announced that the US in the coming days will impose sanctions against enablers of Russia’s war in Ukraine located outside of Russia. He stated that US President Joe Biden is determined to provide support to Ukraine.
Affirming the US support for Ukraine, he said, “And in coming days, the United States will announce a significant sanctions tranche targeting the enablers of Russia’s war in Ukraine located outside of Russia. The Ukrainian military continues to fight bravely and effectively, and President Biden is determined to provide Ukraine with the support that it needs to prevail. To that end, the president announced today that of the USD 50 billion that the G7 committed to loan Ukraine back in June, the United States will provide a loan of USD 20 billion.”
“The other USD 30 billion in loans will come from a combination of our G7 partners, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan. Now, this is unique. Never before has a multilateral coalition frozen the assets of an aggressor country and then harnessed the value of those assets to fund the defence of the aggrieved party, all while respecting the rule of law and maintaining solidarity,” he added.
He stated that these loans will support the people of Ukraine as they defend and build their country and termed it “another example of how Mr Putin’s war of aggression has only unified and strengthened the resolve of G7 countries and our partners to defend shared values.”
Notably, Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a conflict since February 2022. Since the beginning of the war, the US has provided assistance to Ukraine and imposed sanctions against Russia.