US urges China to pressure North Korea to move its troops from Ukraine war
Photo: White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (Getty Images)
China maintains ties with North Korea, so the US is urging Beijing to press Pyongyang to move its troops from the war against Ukraine, reports CNN.
According to American officials, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has instructed the US government to engage China and organize efforts to compel other countries to contact Beijing about the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and the implications of that.
“We have communicated with the PRC about this matter to make clear that we are concerned about it, and that they ought to be concerned about this destabilizing action by two of its neighbors, Russia and North Korea,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
However, Western officials are skeptical about China's intervention in North Korea's plans.
According to a NATO official, China continues to be a "critical enabler" in Russia's military efforts and still supplies the Russian defense industry with significant amounts of dual-use goods, such as microelectronics and machinery that can be used to produce weapons.
CNN, citing sources, reports that a small number of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine.
North Korea sent troops to Ukraine war
North Korea has dispatched soldiers to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine. The North Korean troops underwent training in the Russian Far East. According to intelligence reports, they are now being sent to the Kursk region.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the first North Korean troops would arrive in the combat zone by October 27-28.
The Financial Times, citing Ukrainian intelligence sources, reported that 3,000 North Korean soldiers had already arrived in the Kursk region. They are located about 50 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
