Threat to global security, - Rutte on participation of DPRK troops in Russia’s war against Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the deepening of military and economic ties between Russia and the DPRK is a threat to global security.
He wrote about this in a column for Politico, Censor.NET reports.
Rutte noted that a series of failures of dictator Vladimir Putin after the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine made Russia more dependent on its authoritarian friends: China, Iran and North Korea.
"He relies on China to prop up Russia's economy and to access dual-use technology to support his war effort. He relies on Iran for the deadly drones and missiles that have killed and maimed so many Ukrainians. And it depends on North Korea for millions of rounds of ammunition, ballistic missiles and now troops," the Alliance's Secretary General said.
According to Rutte, Russia is attracting soldiers from the DPRK out of desperation, as Putin is failing to achieve his strategic goals in Ukraine.
"These deepening military and economic ties between a reckless Russia and an emboldened North Korea don’t just threaten Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, they are deeply dangerous for global security," the Secretary-General wrote in his column.
In his opinion, support for Ukraine needs to be strengthened.
"We must raise the price for Putin and his authoritarian friends who support him. We must also invest more in our relations with our Indo-Pacific partners. Our partners in the Indo-Pacific region are already doing a lot for Ukraine, and we hope that they can increase their support even more," the politician wrote.
Rutte reminded that support for Ukraine costs only a fraction of the annual military budgets of NATO countries and allies and amounts to less than 1% of annual GDP.
"This is a small price to pay for peace," he added.
Participation of DPRK troops in Russia's war against Ukraine
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that Russia was using North Korean soldiers in the war against Ukraine.
On 25 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, according to intelligence, the first North Korean military would be used by Russia in combat zones on 27-28 October.
On 28 October, the Pentagon said that the DPRK had sent about 10,000 of its military to Russia for training and further participation in hostilities against Ukraine, which would take place in the "next few weeks".
The Pentagon said that Ukrainian troops could use the US weapons provided to them against the North Korean military if the DPRK enters the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said that approximately several thousand North Korean soldiers have already deployed to the Kursk region in Russia. A smaller number of them are already in the Kursk region.
On November 5, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umierov confirms the first clashes between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and DPRK troops.
