On Wednesday, NATO responded to Ukraine’s claims that North Korea deployed military personnel to Russia, saying, “I cannot confirm these reports, but obviously they are concerning..” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made this statement during a press conference in Brussels. “And even if it’s not, if it is not true, North Korea is already supporting the war effort.,” he added.
Earlier that same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced during a parliamentary session that Ukraine’s intelligence agencies had confirmed North Korea sent workers and military personnel to replace Russians in factories. Ukrainian media have been reporting these rumors since the beginning of the month. Despite this, NATO remains cautious, echoing the United States’ stance. The National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, had earlier said in a briefing that the U.S. “cannot independently confirm those reports.”
Ahead of the two-day NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting on Thursday, Rutte underscored the importance of the four Indo-Pacific partners—South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand—participating for the first time. He highlighted that their presence sends a strong message and, more importantly, represents a step toward deepening cooperation on innovation, supply chains, and defense industry production with the IP4. Rutte also pointed out that South Korea has the capability to produce military supplies quickly and at competitive prices.
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