The article discusses the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as North Korea’s involvement in the region. Here are the key points:
**Russia-Ukraine Conflict**
* Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to discuss a ceasefire with US President-elect Donald Trump, but rejects major territorial concessions.
* The Kremlin demands that Ukraine withdraw from four eastern regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson) before any ceasefire talks can begin.
* Russia currently occupies around 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea.
* Ukraine has rejected the Kremlin’s demands and insists on a full withdrawal of Russian forces.
**North Korea’s Involvement**
* North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where they clashed with Ukrainian forces.
* The deployment is part of a mutual defense treaty between Russia and North Korea, which obligates both countries to assist each other in the event of an armed attack.
* The US has responded by allowing Ukraine to launch ATACMS missiles against Russian and North Korean troops.
**Global Reactions**
* Western countries have denounced the deployment of North Korean troops as an escalation.
* The Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the US authorization of ATACMS missiles a “very dangerous escalation.”
* Ukrainian officials say that NATO membership is the only way to prevent further Russian aggression.
**Russian Threats**
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov threatened the US over long-range strikes, alluding to changes in Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
* The updated nuclear deterrence policy expands the conditions for a nuclear strike, including “aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear state.”