The U.S.-Republic of Korea 2+2 meeting of foreign and defense secretaries held in Washington yesterday served, among other things, to jack up the U.S./NATO confrontation with Russia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a joint press conference with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean foreign and defense ministers, said that the U.S. assesses that there are now 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia. “And the most recent information indicates that as many as 8,000 of those North Korean forces have been deployed to the Kursk region,” he said. “We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days.”
Blinken claimed later, “Russia’s been suffering some 1,200 casualties a day in the east, more than at any other time during the war. And with the deployment of these North Korean troops to Russia, and now to the front lines, this is the first time in a hundred years that Russia has invited foreign troops into its country. Our two sides today discussed a range of options in response and we’re closely coordinating with allies and partners, particularly our European partners.”
Secretary Austin added, “Now, we’ve not yet seen these soldiers deploy into combat against Ukraine’s forces, but we expect that these North Korean soldiers will join the fight against Ukraine in the coming days. Our assessment is that Putin’s forces have trained these North Korean soldiers in artillery operations, UAV operations, and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing. The Kremlin has also provided these D.P.R.K. troops with Russian uniforms and equipment. And all of that strongly indicates that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in front line operations in its war of choice against Ukraine.”
Austin continued, “Make no mistake: If these North Korean troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would make themselves legitimate military targets. So we are consulting closely with our allies and partners and other countries in the region on these reckless developments and on our response.”
Austin wouldn’t hint at the possibility of a direct NATO intervention, saying only that more military assistance would be heading Kiev’s way “very soon, to be announced in the coming days.” He added, “And throughout these months, we will be, with more than 50 countries, continuing to strengthen and build support for Ukraine’s defense with everything that it needs to effectively defend itself, as well as continuing to put pressure on Russia and to deal in many other ways with the ongoing aggression.”
