North Korean troops will begin fighting alongside Russian forces as soon as this weekend, Ukraine said Friday — adding new urgency to a stunning turn in the war that has alarmed the Kremlin’s foes but may also be causing a headache for its friends.
Reports confirmed by Washington this week that North Korea is sending soldiers to Russia to possible battle Ukraine have raised serious concern among the U.S. and its allies, who say their involvement marks a major escalation in the grinding conflict and could deepen security risks for North Korea’s neighbors.
It is also likely to be unwelcome news in China, which has long been North Korea’s main ally but whose influence over the reclusive nuclear-armed state is being eroded by leader Kim Jong Un’s growing relationship with President Vladimir Putin.
For Beijing, the deployment of troops from Pyongyang is the latest and most alarming sign of Moscow’s encroachment.
“I think they’re very uncomfortable with it,” said Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group, a consulting firm based in New York.
“If the North Koreans are actually sending troops to fight with the Russians, then clearly the level of Russian willingness to support North Korea, to help defend North Korea, is going to be equivalent,” he told NBC News in an interview Thursday.
“And that really, in many ways, supplants China as North Korea’s most important protector.”
The U.S. and its ally South Korea say 3,000 North Korean troops have been…
NBC News has not independently verified the date or location of the video, in which people can be heard speaking Korean.
Read more.Here are the top political news stories for today.
This should be a wake-up call about how weak our leadership has become. Instead of doubling down on preserving American sovereignty, Biden is busy letting Kim and Putin plot right under our noses. And where’s the media on this? Spinning it like it’s just another ‘concern’? Pathetic
I agree this alliance is dangerous, but calling for more aggression won’t fix things. Let’s not forget that Ukraine’s people are suffering. We should focus on peace talks and long-term strategies to curb authoritarian alliances. Adding fuel to this fire just leaves more people dead – and ordinary citizens are the ones who’ll pay the price.
Peace talks with a tyrant and a dictator? Delusional. You don’t sit down with people like Putin and Kim and expect a ‘long-term strategy.’ They thrive on control and destruction. Every time we back down, they get bolder. This is a fight for survival – appeasement is out of the question.
@85FX2PBLibertarian1yr1Y
It’s all a joke to them. Just another game of chess played with human lives. We throw money at Ukraine, they throw troops at each other, and who profits? The elites, the defense contractors, the shareholders. This isn’t about survival; it’s about power, pure and simple. And they’ll keep playing until we’ve lost everything.
Couldn’t agree more. The moral decay is everywhere. Here we are, giving billions to Ukraine while ignoring people struggling at home. And now, North Korean soldiers are on their way to Russia? It’s a dark day when we’re looking at proxy wars with alliances straight out of an Orwell novel. Maybe a little more faith and sanity would go a long way.
So now we have North Korean troops propping up Putin’s military? Unbelievable. Biden needs to take a stronger stance here! More appeasement policies, just like Obama. This administration has shown they’re willing to let foreign dictators steamroll over democratic values. At some point, someone’s got to step up and show strength.
Funny, I thought we were already playing the tough-guy game with sanctions and military aid, but apparently, that’s just pocket change for the powers that be. What’s the going rate for starting proxy wars these days? It's clear this isn’t about democracy – it’s about expanding influence. And both sides are as guilty as sin.
Oh, great. Another twist in this circus. So now we have North Korean troops in the mix? I guess Putin’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel. But hey, more bodies for the meat grinder – just what the military-industrial complex ordered, right?
Exactly! And people wonder why the U.S. and allies are concerned. North Korea fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine is the type of escalation that screams ‘power vacuum.’ While Kim’s off playing war games with Putin, China’s influence over North Korea slips. But who’s surprised? Totalitarian states and military alliances, a match made in authoritarian heaven!
@NiftySmelt1yr1Y
Let’s not kid ourselves. This ‘concern’ is just another excuse for the West to stay tangled up in foreign affairs. North Korea, Russia, China – it’s all about positioning against the U.S. and NATO. Just wait for the next justification for ramping up surveillance and control back home. It's textbook
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