North Korea responds to Zelenskyy's claim about sending 50,000 troops to Russia

According to Kim Yo Jong, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s assessment that up to 50,000 additional North Korean troops could be sent to Russia is "groundless" and "a self-staged incident."

The North Korean leader’s sister also claimed that the United States and Western countries bear full responsibility for starting and prolonging the war against Ukraine.

Assessment of relations with the US and Trump

Kim Yo Jong also commented on relations with Washington. She said that the United States’ "hostile policy" toward North Korea remains unchanged, despite President Donald Trump’s order to reduce US participation in joint military exercises with South Korea.

According to Kim Yo Jong, although relations between the leaders of the two countries were previously "truly great," the United States continues to conduct military exercises with Seoul and threaten Pyongyang’s security.

What preceded this

Recently, Zelenskyy said that Russia had decided to recruit between 30,000 and 50,000 North Korean soldiers to carry out combat missions. The Ukrainian president emphasized that North Korean troops are gaining experience from the war in this way.

The head of state noted that since Pyongyang would gain experience in modern warfare from Russia, this could pose a threat to other countries in the Asian region. In addition, North Korea would receive licenses and military equipment from Russia.

Bloomberg previously reported on the growth of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s revenues following the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. According to the outlet, North Korea received $22 billion in revenue between 2022 and 2025.

In addition, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence, Pyongyang has supplied Russia with more than 100 ballistic missiles and deployed specialized missile units. This could intensify Russian missile strikes and lead to greater destruction in Ukraine.