Volodymyr Zelensky and Kim Jong-un.
Abaca / © Volodymyr Zelensky; Kristina Kormilitsyna/POOL/TASS
“Ukraine is ready to hand over its soldiers to Kim Jong-un if he can organize their exchange for our fighters who are detained in Russia” : this is the proposal made by the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky on his X account, this Sunday, January 12.
Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday that they had taken prisoner two North Korean soldiers injured during fighting in the Russian region of Kursk, where kyiv is leading a counter-offensive. The South Korean national intelligence service confirmed this Ukrainian information to AFP, affirming that the two soldiers captured on January 9 were indeed of North Korean nationality.
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Volodymyr Zelensky also stated that “there will undoubtedly be more” of North Korean soldiers captured in the future by the Ukrainian army. And to add: “For North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return (to their country), there could be other options available. (Those who) tell the truth about this war in Korean will have this opportunity. »
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Pyongyang alongside Moscow
According to Western estimates, several thousand North Korean troops have been sent to Russia in recent weeks. These troops would fight Ukrainian forces leading a counter-offensive within Russian territory. Pyongyang has neither confirmed nor denied this presence, but this deployment would be part of a mutual defense treaty signed in June between Moscow and Pyongyang.
This cooperation raises concerns among Westerners. The United States and its allies have thus denounced a “dangerous enlargement” of the conflict and urged North Korea to repatriate its troops. kyiv has confirmed the presence of these forces.
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According to Seoul, however, the North Korean forces are already experiencing significant losses: “We estimate that North Korean troops, who recently went into battle against Ukrainian forces, suffered approximately 1,100 casualties”declared the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on December 23.
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