After shaking hands on the BRICS Summit in Russia with the Russian President, Antonio Guterres issued a warning of “dangerous escalation,” amid news that Russia had sent North Korean troops to fight for Ukraine.
According to EFE, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave concerns over the transfer of North Korean military personnel to Russia to be deployed in Ukraine.
The UN General Assembly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, Guterres’ recent visit to Russia has caused controversy, particularly since he had previously refused to attend the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland. Antonio Guterres attended BRICS Summit in Russia where he met President Vladimir Putin who is under ICC arrest warrant and listened to his dismissive remarks about the war.
The UN defended Guterres’s visit as “standard diplomatic practice,” but critics claim it undermines UN’s image as an impartial peace-broker.
Guterres warned, however, of a “dangerous escalate” as North Korean forces join the fight against Ukraine.
Guterres stated on 3 November that “this could represent a dangerous escalation in the war in Ukraine”, adding that “everything must be done to avoid the internationalization” of the conflict.
North Korean troops in Ukraine
According to Andrii Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official, North Korean troops engaged in combat in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for the first ever time on 4 November.
In October, Ukrainian military Intelligence (HUR), reported that approximately 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers, and three generals have been deployed in Russia.
HUR reported on 2 November that Russia had transferred more than 7,500 Pyongyang soldiers to areas near Ukraine.
HUR reported that Russia also equipped these forces with a variety of weapons, including mortars and AK-12 assault weapons, machine guns, anti-tank weapons along with thermal imaging devices.
On 29 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed South Korean President Yoon Su Yeol that 3,000 North Korean soldiers were on “Russian Training Grounds in the immediate proximity of the war zone.”
In response, the South Korean government could consider sending offensive weapons to Ukraine as well as personnel to interrogate any captured North Koreans.
The United States expressed their concern over this development. They suggested that North Korean troops participating would represent a significant escalation of the defense relationship between North Korea, and Russia.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, acknowledged the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia. He referred to a mutual defence treaty signed between the two countries in June.
Putin said, “We are interested in how countries implement the points contained in this agreement.”
Andri Yermak is the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office. He criticized the international response, expressing surprise that “the world was turning a blind-eye to North Korea’s increasing aggressive actions.”
Related:
Official: Ukrainian official: North Korean troops are the first to engage in combat in Russia’s Kursk Oblast
* US official: North Korean soldiers in Ukraine would demonstrate Russian “desperation”.
* South Korea may transfer arms to Russia in response to North Korean troops stationed there
* Putin denies deployment of North Korean troops
* South Korea considers sending personnel in Ukraine as the North deploys troops in Russia
* Ukraine demands a global response to North Korea’s military support of Russia’s war machines
Read More @ euromaidanpress.com