03:43Mandatory credit: NATO TV
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed he could 'confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia', speaking following a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and 'our other Indo-Pacific partners' in Brussels on Monday.
"Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region," he alleged.
"The deployment of North Korean troops represents: one, a significant escalation in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war. Two, yet another breach of UN Security Council resolutions. And three, a dangerous expansion of Russia's war," he continued.
Rutte said that his alliance called on Moscow and Pyongyang to 'cease these actions immediately'. He also alleged that Russia was providing DPRK with 'military technology and other support to circumvent international sanctions'.
Pyongyang and Moscow have not reacted to Rutte's claims at time of publication. On Friday, the DPRK stated that any deployment of troops into Russia 'would conform' with international law, but stopped short of confirming one. During the final BRICS Summit press briefing on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked about 'satellite images' which one reporter claimed were "said to show the DPRK troops here in Russia". "Photos are a serious matter," Putin replied. "If there are images, they reflect something."
'Significant escalation' - NATO chief Rutte claims DPRK troops in Russia's Kursk
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed he could 'confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia', speaking following a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and 'our other Indo-Pacific partners' in Brussels on Monday.
"Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region," he alleged.
"The deployment of North Korean troops represents: one, a significant escalation in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war. Two, yet another breach of UN Security Council resolutions. And three, a dangerous expansion of Russia's war," he continued.
Rutte said that his alliance called on Moscow and Pyongyang to 'cease these actions immediately'. He also alleged that Russia was providing DPRK with 'military technology and other support to circumvent international sanctions'.
Pyongyang and Moscow have not reacted to Rutte's claims at time of publication. On Friday, the DPRK stated that any deployment of troops into Russia 'would conform' with international law, but stopped short of confirming one. During the final BRICS Summit press briefing on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked about 'satellite images' which one reporter claimed were "said to show the DPRK troops here in Russia". "Photos are a serious matter," Putin replied. "If there are images, they reflect something."
Mandatory credit: NATO TV
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed he could 'confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia', speaking following a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and 'our other Indo-Pacific partners' in Brussels on Monday.
"Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region," he alleged.
"The deployment of North Korean troops represents: one, a significant escalation in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war. Two, yet another breach of UN Security Council resolutions. And three, a dangerous expansion of Russia's war," he continued.
Rutte said that his alliance called on Moscow and Pyongyang to 'cease these actions immediately'. He also alleged that Russia was providing DPRK with 'military technology and other support to circumvent international sanctions'.
Pyongyang and Moscow have not reacted to Rutte's claims at time of publication. On Friday, the DPRK stated that any deployment of troops into Russia 'would conform' with international law, but stopped short of confirming one. During the final BRICS Summit press briefing on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked about 'satellite images' which one reporter claimed were "said to show the DPRK troops here in Russia". "Photos are a serious matter," Putin replied. "If there are images, they reflect something."