G7 and allies coordinate response to Russia's use of North Korean troops
The foreign ministers of the G7 countries, along with those from three key allied nations, expressed their serious concern on Tuesday regarding the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia. They are currently collaborating on a coordinated response to address this situation.
In addition to G7 members – the United States, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and the EU – the statement was also endorsed by South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
The ministers voiced "grave concerns regarding the deployment of DPRK troops to Russia, potentially for the use on the battlefield against Ukraine".
"Several thousands of DPRK troops have been deployed to Russia. The DPRK’s direct support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, besides showing Russia’s desperate efforts to compensate its losses, would mark a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific peace and security," they said.
They strongly condemned the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including Russia's "unlawful procurement" of North Korean ballistic missiles, and called on North Korea to cease its assistance to Russia in its aggressive actions.
The ministers also said they are "deeply concerned" about the potential transfer of technologies related to nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles to North Korea.
They reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine and stated that they are working with international partners to formulate a "coordinated response to this new development".
On 1 November, US House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner asserted that the United States and NATO allies should consider to "attack directly North Korean troops" if they are present in Ukraine and engaged in combat alongside Russia.
Defence Intelligence of the United Kingdom indicated that North Korean troops involved in fighting against Ukraine would encounter interoperability issues with Russian forces and their equipment.
On 4 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that there are already 11,000 North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia's Kursk Oblast, yet no corresponding response has been forthcoming from Western partners.