No New Restrictions on Ukraine’s Use of US Weapons if North Korea Enters War, Says Pentagon

The Pentagon confirmed today that there will be no new restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US weapons, if North Korean forces engage in combat against Ukrainian troops.

According to Reuters, this statement comes as the Pentagon reports the deployment of approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers to eastern Russia for training, with some of these troops potentially moving closer to Ukraine.

Sabrina Singh, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, expressed growing concerns that Russia may utilize North Korean soldiers in combat operations against Ukraine. “A portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine,” she noted, emphasizing the military dynamics in the region. Singh specifically highlighted the situation in Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces captured during a surprise offensive earlier this summer.

While NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte corroborated the presence of North Korean military units in Russia’s Kursk region, Singh refrained from confirming their exact location. “It is likely that they are moving in that direction towards Kursk. But I don’t have more details just yet,” she stated.

Earlier reports indicated that Russia is forming a special battalion of approximately 3,000 North Korean citizens to participate in combat operations against Ukraine.

However, recent information has emerged that 18 North Korean soldiers have fled from their positions near the border between the Bryansk and Kursk regions, just 7 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

On October 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referenced intelligence reports indicating North Korea’s de facto involvement in the ongoing war, after reports had emerged indicating that more than 20 soldiers were killed near Donetsk due to a missile strike on October 3, including six North Korean officers.