The US expresses concern over reports of North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine

MADRID 16 Oct. () –

The spokesman for the United States Department of State, Matthew Miller, expressed his concern on Tuesday about reports about the possibility of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, statements that come after the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, denounced this situation.

“We are concerned about reports of soldiers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea fighting for Russia. If true, it would mean a significant increase in the relationship between these two countries, which has been developing over recent months.” , he stated during a press conference.

Likewise, Miller has expressed that “it would indicate a new level of desperation” on the part of the Kremlin due to the heavy casualties suffered by the Russian Army in the fighting.

During the same day, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, held a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andri Sibiha, to whom he reaffirmed his support against Russia and to talk about the upcoming meetings with leaders of the European Union. The statement does not specify whether they have addressed the issue of the North Korean military on the battlefield.

Zelensky denounced the presence of North Korean troops in the Russian Army just a few days after South Korea claimed that Pyongyang was moving its forces to fight alongside Russia, something denied by the Kremlin.

The level of military collaboration between Moscow and Pyongyang has been a recurring cause of suspicion in Western capitals, to the extent that Russia is one of the few countries in the world that maintains relations with the secretive regime of Kim Jong Un. There is concern about the possible transfer of North Korean war material to Moscow, as well as whether Pyongyang could continue advancing its confessed nuclear ambition.