In light of an ever-strengthening alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang, the Ukrainian president revealed that Russia plans to directly involve North Korea in the conflict in Ukraine, according to reports from its military intelligence services .
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“It’s no longer just about transferring weapons. This is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.
This “real involvement of North Korea in the war” could be orchestrated in the offensives this winter and even this fall, mentioned the Ukrainian president, according to what was reported by the Kyiv Independant.
And North Korean soldiers could already be on the ground in Ukraine.
AFP
The Kyiv Independant reported that Russian military bloggers allegedly mentioned the visit of six North Korean officers to the front lines as part of the “exchange of experience” program between Russia and North Korea, but the Ukrainian media was unable to verify this information.
Last Thursday, The Guardian wrote that North Korean military engineers had already been deployed to Ukraine, according to information obtained from senior officials in Kyiv and Seoul. Some of these soldiers have even already experienced a tragic end, according to the same sources.
In the Kremlin, spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, however, contradicted these statements by assuring that this was “fake news”.
Also with China
Russia continues to increasingly call on its allies to support its war effort in Ukraine, placing, among other things, orders for drones and missiles from Iran as well as millions of 155mm artillery shells. to North Korea.
Moscow and Pyongyang also signed a strategic defense agreement on June 19.
Photo AFP
But Russia is also working to develop its ties with China, another potential ally.
The new Russian Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, met his Chinese counterpart in the People’s Republic of China on Monday.
“Belousov met with PRC Defense Minister Dong Jun in Beijing on October 14 and discussed the role of bilateral cooperation in strengthening the defense capabilities of each state as well as maintaining global security and regional stability,” reported the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The two states sympathized over their “common desire” to develop better cooperation.
Canadian delegation in Kyiv
For its part, Ukraine has also continued to move closer to its NATO allies.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Greg Fergus, was at the head of a Canadian delegation to Kyiv which was to meet the Ukrainian president on Monday to discuss the possibilities of Ukraine joining NATO.
“We also discussed support for our energy system before winter, defense assistance, continued sanctions against the Russian Federation and Canada’s leadership in the liberation of Ukrainians,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on his X account.
“We sincerely thank Canada for its unwavering support for Ukraine since the very beginning of this war,” he added.
