U.S. says North Korea sending troops to Russia as Ukraine war rages

Washington — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that nan U.S. was "seeing grounds that location are North Korean troops successful Russia," offering nan first comments by a elder U.S. charismatic connected nan seemingly expanding ties betwixt 2 awesome U.S. adversaries.  South Korean officials first raised nan siren astir nan North Korean deployments to Russia past week, saying Seoul's intelligence agencies had grounds that North Korean commandos were sent to Russia connected their measurement to subordinate Moscow's ongoing penetration of Ukraine.

"Exactly what they're doing is near to beryllium seen," Austin said of nan North Korean troops successful Russia. He made nan remarks to reporters during a sojourn to Rome.

He said if nan North Korean troops were astir to go progressive participants successful Russia's warfare successful Ukraine, it would beryllium an denotation that Putin — whose forces person been making territorial gains successful caller months — could beryllium successful much problem than galore group realize. Some officials judge nan gains on nan beforehand statement successful Ukraine person travel astatine nan costs of galore thousands of Russian troops.

South Korean officials fishy nan Northern troops are being trained successful Russia to conflict connected that beforehand line. South Korean intelligence estimates propose location are now astir 3,000 Northern troops successful Russia, but Ukrainian officials person been pursuing nan matter closely, too, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and officials successful South Korea person said nan North could deploy much than 10,000 troops to Russia by nan extremity of nan year.

Ukrainian officials opportunity they person not seen North Koreans fighting successful nan state yet, but nan authorities successful Kyiv issued a connection Wednesday calling connected immoderate North Korean troops fighting for Russia to surrender.

Defense officials successful Washington person told CBS News that immoderate effect North Korean forces could person connected nan battlefield will dangle connected really good trained and equipped they are and whether they're utilized arsenic elite commandos and advisors, aliases conscionable to pad retired flagging unit numbers.

North Korea has been supplying Russia pinch artillery for its warfare successful Ukraine for months.

But much important than North Korean troops' imaginable battlefield effect are nan wider implications of greater support for Putin's warfare by Kim Jong Un's isolated, nuclear-armed regime.

At a uncommon in-person acme successful North Korea successful June, Putin and Kim signed a broad strategical partnership agreement, publically expanding their economical and subject practice to show a agreed beforehand against Washington. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stepping during a farewell ceremonial up of Putin's departure from nan Sunan International Airport successful Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/POOL/AFP/Getty

The pact saw nan leaders promise to take sides nan different if either state was to travel nether attack, but officials successful nan U.S. and different Western capitals judge Russia, supra all, has been keen to guarantee a dependable proviso of North Korean weapons for its Ukraine war.

The U.S. and South Korea person been concerned for months that successful return for Kim's practice and support, Russia could supply North Korea pinch atomic and precocious ballistic rocket technology.

In ray of nan accusation astir Kim sending troops to Russia, South Korea has threatened to proviso Ukraine pinch weapons — thing it has resisted doing since Putin ordered nan full-scale penetration of his neighboring state successful February 2022.

North Korea's authorities has not commented connected nan alleged deployment of troops to Russia. Moscow has dismissed it arsenic "another fabrication."

Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.

In:
• War
• South Korea
• Nuclear Weapons
• Ukraine
• Russia
• North Korea