North Korea says will stand by Russia until 'victory' in Ukraine

North Korea will stand by Russia until its victory in Ukraine, Pyongyang's foreign minister said in Moscow Friday, as the US has warned thousands of North Korean troops could be sent to combat in the Ukraine conflict in the coming days.

North Korea's Choe Son Hui was in Moscow as the West believes up to 10,000 North Korean troops are training in Russia and on the brink of entering the more than two-year conflict on Russia's side.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, January 16, 2024.Reuters

US intelligence has said some of the troops have made their way to the Kursk border region, with Washington and Seoul warning North Korea to withdraw its army.

"We will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day," Choe declared in Moscow after talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

She said North Korea had no doubt in the "wise leadership" of President Vladimir Putin, who signed a mutual assistance pact with Pyongyang this summer and massively warmed ties with the reclusive state.

Choe called Moscow's more than two year offensive in Ukraine a "sacred struggle."

Nukes for troops

She also vowed that North Korea will continue to develop its nuclear arsenal, with Pyongyang widely suspected of wanting nuclear technology from Russia in exchange for military support.

Neither country has denied the troop deployment reports, with Son Hui and Lavrov also not mentioning them in their statements after their talks.

Young people, including students and youth league officials, sign petitions to join or return to the army this week, according to North Korean state media, at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency October 16, 2024.Reuters

Lavrov did however laud "very close ties" between the two countries "armies and special services."

"This will also make it possible to solve significant security aims for our citizens and yours," he added, without giving details.

Lavrov said Russia was "deeply grateful" for North Korea's "principled stance" on Ukraine.

Unlikely allies

Russia's Ukraine offensive, launched in February 2022, severed its ties with the West, while North Korea and Iran have emerged as Russia's main backers, with both believed to be supplying Moscow's troops.

"I really appreciate today's opportunity to talk frankly in a comradely manner," Lavrov said, evoking Soviet-style language.
Russia has massively warmed ties with its North Korean neighbor, with Moscow and Pyongyang now among the most sanctioned countries in the world.

Lavrov said Putin's July visit to Pyongyang launched a "new stage" of relations.

North Korea is already believed to have sent weapons to Moscow but troops on the ground would mark a major escalation.

The US said Thursday it has not yet seen troops sent into combat but that this could happen "in the coming days."

But its Defense Secretary Llyod Austin said that the 10,000 North Koreans believed to be on their way "will not come close to replacing the numbers that the Russians have lost."

He said the US will announce new military aid for Kyiv soon.

Ukraine denounces interference

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday denounced what he called inaction by his allies on North Korean troops and said he was surprised by the "silence" of China.

Kyiv urged Western partners to "lift all the restrictions" on firing long-range missiles into Russia after the "true escalation" with North Korea.

North Korea's Choe Son Hui vowed in Moscow that the country will not give up advancing its nuclear program and accused the West of escalating tensions in the Korea peninsula.

She spoke a day after North Korea said it test-fired one of its newest and most powerful missiles to boost its nuclear deterrent, in a move slammed by the West.

"I once again assure you that our country will in no way change course on the straightening of its nuclear forces," she said. "The security situation of our nation is in a very dangerous and unstable state because of the machinations of the US and its satellites."

"The situation on the Korean Peninsula could become explosive at any time," she added.

South Korea has said that North Korea's deployment to Russia could escalate security threats on the Korean peninsula, and that Pyongyang will likely ask for Russian technology transfers to aid its weapons programs.