The Pentagon will not impose new restrictions on the use of American weapons by Ukraine if North Korea joins the conflict. This was stated today by the representative of the US Department of Defense Sabrina Singh, according to Reuters.
The Pentagon estimates that 10,000 North Korean troops are deployed in eastern Russia for training.
"Some of these soldiers have already approached We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat operations or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia near the border with Ukraine," Singh said.
If the DPRK military enters the battle on the side of Russia, the DPRK will be considered a belligerent party, and its citizens will turn out to be legitimate targets for the Ukrainian army, Singh stressed.
She refused to confirm that North Korean troops are present in the Kursk region.
"It is likely that they are moving in this direction towards Kursk. But I don't have any more detailed information yet," she said.
Earlier on Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that military units from North Korea had been transferred to the Kursk region, part of which was captured by Ukrainian troops during a sudden summer offensive, US News reports.
As EADaily reported, Russia's decision to deploy North Korean troops to strengthen its forces made Ukraine's allies realize that they have few options for responding to this step without further escalation of the conflict, Bloomberg reported.
Recall, the Ukrainian command warned the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who are in Kursk region, about the imminent participation of DPRK soldiers in hostilities. This was reported by The New York Times.