UN chief Guterres expresses concern over North Korean troops in Ukraine amid criticism for meeting Putin
After shaking hands with Russian president on the BRICS summit in Russia, António Guterres warned of "dangerous escalation" amid news that Russia deployed North Korean troops to fight in Ukraine.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed serious concerns about North Korean military personnel being transferred to Russia for potential deployment in Ukraine, according to the news agency EFE.
While the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine, UN chief’s recent visit to Russia sparked controversy, especially since Guterres had previously declined to attend Ukraine’s Peace Summit in Switzerland. António Guterres attended the BRICS summit in Russia, where he shaked hands with President Vladimir Putin, who is under an ICC arrest warrant, and listened to Putin’s dismissive comments about the war.
The UN defended Guterres’s visit as “standard diplomatic practice,” but critics argue it undermines the UN’s image as a neutral peace-broker.
Guterres, however, warned of “dangerous escalation” as North Korean troops join fight against Ukraine.
“This could represent a very dangerous escalation of the war in Ukraine,” Guterres said on 3 November, adding that “everything possible must be done to prevent the internationalization of the conflict.”
North Korean troops in Ukraine
On 4 November, North Korean troops have reportedly engaged in combat for the first time in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, according to Ukrainian official Andrii Kovalenko.
In October, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals, have been deployed to Russia.
On 2 November, HUR updated that Russia transferred more than 7,000 Pyongyang troops to areas near Ukraine.
HUR also reported that Russia has equipped these forces with various weapons including mortars, AK-12 assault rifles, machine guns, and anti-tank weapons, along with thermal imaging equipment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on 29 October that 3,000 North Korean fighters were on “Russian training grounds in the immediate vicinity of the war zone.”
In response, South Korean government may consider providing offensive weapons to Ukraine and potentially send personnel to interrogate any captured North Korean soldiers.
The United States expressed concern over this development, suggesting that North Korean troop participation would signify a significant escalation in the defense relationship between North Korea and Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the presence of North Korean military personnel in Russia, referencing a mutual defense treaty between the two nations signed in June.
“How countries implement the points of this agreement is our business,” Putin stated.
Andri Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, criticized the international community’s response, noting surprise at “the world turning a blind eye to North Korea’s increasingly aggressive actions.”
Related:
- North Korean troops face first combat in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian official says
- US official: North Korean troops in Ukraine would show Russian “desperation”
- South Korea’s response to North Korean troops in Russia may include arms transfers
- Putin doesn’t deny deployment of North Korean troops
- South Korea considers sending personnel to Ukraine as North deploys troops to Russia
- Ukraine demands global response to North Korea’s military support for Russia’s war machine
