The report of South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence about Pyongyang's planned sending of its troops to participate in hostilities against Ukraine was indirectly confirmed by russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived in North Korea the day before as part of an official visit.
After a meeting with the head of the DPRK Foreign Ministry Choi Son-hui, journalists asked Lavrov about the possibility of involving North Korean troops in the fighting in Ukraine. In response, he stated that the sending of DPRK troops to the Kursk Oblast was an initiative of the head of state Kim Jong Un.
"We had no reason to refuse a sincere demonstration of solidarity. We proceed from the fact that the DPRK itself determines the forms in which it will implement our strategic partnership agreement," he said.
This is an agreement signed in the summer of 2024 by Kim Jong Un and president vladimir putin during the latter's visit to Pyongyang. The treaty provides for military assistance in the event of an attack on one of the parties.
Lavrov also stated that during the negotiations, Pyongyang confirmed its "unequivocal support" for all the goals of the russian "SVO" in Ukraine and the actions of the kremlin, as well as the russian army. For her part, the DPRK Foreign Minister stated that North Korea would unconditionally support the russian federation's policy of "protecting its territorial integrity and sovereignty" within the framework of the strategic partnership agreement.
At the end of June, members of the South Korean parliament, citing data from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), reported that Pyongyang could send additional troops to support the russian offensive in Ukraine as early as July or August. To this end, the DPRK is recruiting a new contingent that will supplement the units of 11,000 soldiers that were previously sent to oust the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Kursk Oblast.
Last week, CNN published an internal Ukrainian intelligence document, according to which North Korea is preparing to triple the number of its troops fighting in Russia. According to Kyiv's estimates, Pyongyang may send an additional 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers to help moscow in the coming months.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the aggressor country russia may be preparing for a large-scale offensive on the territory of Ukraine this summer with the support of the military from North Korea.
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