North Korea says it’s going to assist Russia in its battle with Ukraine “until the day of victory” – after the US warned 1000’s of Pyongyang’s troops are set to enter fight within the coming days.
North Korea’s international minister Choe Son Hui hailed Vladimir Putin’s “wise leadership” forward of talks in Moscow on Friday, and insisted that Russia will “achieve a great victory”.
“We also assure that until the day of victory we will firmly stand alongside our Russian comrades,” she added.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken has stated 1000’s of North Korean troops are stationed close to Ukraine’s border and are set to enter fight within the coming days.
Mr Blinken stated 10,000 troopers have been deployed to Russia, with as much as 8,000 within the Kursk border area, and indicated they’d be used on the frontline.
He added that the troops have been skilled by Russian forces in artillery, drones and “basic infantry operations, including trench clearing”.
In an interview with South Korean TV channel KBS, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the West’s response to the deployment as “nothing, it’s zero”.
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North Korean troops close to Ukraine border, US says
Russia’s international minister Sergei Lavrov informed reporters on Friday that he had “nothing to add to what has already been said” on the US claims, and thanked Ms Choe for North Korea’s assist.
The deployment of troops to Russia comes after Mr Putin met Kim Jong Un in June, when the Russian president travelled to North Korea for the primary time in 24 years.
Picture:
Vladimir Putin met Kim Jong Un in North Korea in June. Pic: Reuters
A mutual defence pact was agreed throughout their summit, which means the international locations will assist one another if they’re attacked.
Talking in Moscow, Ms Choe accused the US and South Korea of plotting a nuclear strike towards her nation.
She offered no proof to again her declare, however spoke of standard consultations between Washington and Seoul, at which she alleged such plotting happened.
Ms Choe additionally informed Mr Lavrov that tensions on the Korean Peninsula may flip “explosive” at any second.
On Thursday, North Korea examined a brand new intercontinental ballistic missile, which it claimed was “the world’s most powerful strategic deterrent”.
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North Korea checks big missile
On Friday, Ukraine’s air pressure stated it shot down 31 Russian drones and one missile throughout an in a single day strike throughout the nation.
It stated 48 drones have been launched by Moscow, together with three cruise missiles. Out of the drones launched, one other 14 have been “locationally lost”.