Finland president calls North Korean troops deployed to Russia an ‘escalation’

Prime Minister Trudeau said that the possibility of the Ukraine war becoming more fierce has increased with the North Korean troops' deployment to Russia, and this will have an impact on the overall security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific,

Yoon's office said

Escalation in the current conflict which comes from Asia itself might have the negative impact of putting more pressure on Beijing itself, just what it wants to avoid."

He added

China can't afford to sever ties with North Korea, due to its own security interests. So, Beijing has to endure North Korea siding with Russia and being labeled as part of an axis of authoritarian revisionist states, even if it doesn't like this label,

he added

China should be concerned about NATO paying more attention to North Korea, especially since many NATO member countries see Beijing as Pyongyang's enabler,

Ramon Pacheco Pardo, who was part of European Union delegations to previous talks with North Korea, South Korea, China and Japan, told VOA on Friday

We believe that Russia's training of DPRK soldiers involving arms or related material is a direct violation of Security Council Resolution 1718, 1874 and 2270,

Miller told a press briefing

The rest at this time, of course, (are) training out in the east, but (we) fully expect that they'll move in that direction at some point,

he added

Joe Bidenpresident

If they cross into Ukraine."

When asked if Ukraine should strike the North's troops, Biden said

We've seen the relationship further deepening between the DPRK and Russia, which is, of course, concerning to include the provision of munitions from North Korea to Russia to aid in their war effort,

he said, using the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

We've shown we are willing to use those abilities and authorities in the past and we will continue to do so when appropriate,

he said

We've been very clear that Ukraine is able to employ those capabilities to defend their sovereign territory from threats that are either emanating from across the border or inside Ukrainian territory,

he said

Indications that there's already a small number [of North Korean troops] that are actually in the Kursk Oblast, with a couple of thousand more that are either almost there, or due to arrive imminently,

he said

Initial indications are that these troops will be employed in some type of infantry role,

Ryder reiterated

Russia is desperate for additional manpower, and this is one element of Russia's effort to fill the ranks without a second mobilization,

it added, noting the presence could grow

The numbers make this more than a symbolic effort, but the troops will likely be in support roles and constitute less than 1% of Russia's forces,

the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank said in a note

Integrating North Korean troops into a very complex war machine is not easy. But using their presence to scare the United States and its allies in Asia is quite simple,

the diplomat said

The closer Moscow's ties to Pyongyang, the more leverage it expects over U.S. allies as well as China,

Gilbert Rozman, of The Asan Forum, wrote for the U.S.-based 38 North programme

We agreed to strengthen intelligence and expertise exchange, intensify contacts at all levels, especially the highest, in order to develop an action strategy and countermeasures to address this escalation,

Zelenskiy said

Allies and partners across the globe are watching and consulting and will proactively share intelligence on the matter as it affects the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions and beyond,

he added

It appears that they disguised themselves as Russian soldiers to hide the fact that they were deployed to the battlefield,

the agency said

We're ready to go wherever needed to work as psychological warfare agents—through loudspeaker broadcasts, distributing leaflets, and even acting as interpreters,

Ahn said