US: North Korea ‘Bears Responsibility’ for Russia’s War in Ukraine

The US State Department on Sunday accused North Korea and other third countries of helping prolong Russia’s war against Ukraine, saying they “bear responsibility” for fueling the conflict.

The statement came just hours after Pyongyang confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to support Moscow under a mutual defense treaty.

“Third countries, like the DPRK [North Korea], that have perpetuated the Russia-Ukraine war, bear responsibility,” a US State Department spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency.

The spokesperson reiterated Washington’s call for Pyongyang to halt its troop deployments and for Moscow to end any support for North Korea in return.

“We continue to be concerned by the DPRK’s direct involvement in the war. The DPRK’s military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the DPRK in return must end,” the official told reporters.

The State Department also pointed out that Russia’s training of North Korean troops violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban providing or receiving military training or assistance involving North Korea.

The comments followed Moscow’s first official acknowledgment of North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian troops in Kursk Oblast. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hailed the deployment as a “sacred mission” to strengthen ties with Russia and defend the North’s honor.

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South Korea’s intelligence agency earlier estimated that around 14,000 North Korean troops had been sent to support Russia, along with 200 long-range artillery units and large quantities of ammunition. Reports indicate that at least 4,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded so far.

In exchange, Pyongyang is believed to be receiving advanced military technology from Moscow, including nuclear submarine systems and missile re-entry technology.