The Pentagon has stated that it will not impose any new restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American weapons if North Korean troops join the conflict in Russia.
This declaration follows the Department of Defense’s announcement in mid-October that it would provide Ukraine with additional military aid to counter Russian forces, including missiles and artillery ammunition.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was asked whether there would be limits on the use of U.S. weapons if North Korean soldiers were killed.
“No,” she responded. “If North Korea – if we see DPRK troops moving in and towards the front lines, I mean, they are co-belligerents in the war. And so, they are fighting on these front lines and the Ukrainians are defending their sovereign territory and pushing the Russians back.”
“That is a calculation that, you know, DPRK leadership is making to send their soldiers into combat,” Singh continued. “But they would – if they are in combat, you know, they’re fighting the Ukrainians, who are fighting for their sovereign territory. And we’ve made a commitment to Ukraine that we’re going to continue to support them with whatever it takes.”
The Pentagon currently estimates that around 10,000 North Korean soldiers have entered Russia.
“A portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine towards Russia’s Kursk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine. Approximately a couple thousand, with a smaller number already present in the Kursk region,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday. “We remain concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Kursk. We continue to monitor closely and are consulting with our Ukrainian partners, as well as other allies and partners.”
Ryder said the North Korean troop movements are “an indication of the dire situation that Russia finds itself in, in terms of manpower on the front lines.”
“They have experienced significant casualties in this war and the fact that they now need to outsource for foreign troops, to help support their forces inside Russia indicates that that there’s some serious questions in terms of their ability to continue to sustain their personnel requirements,” he also said.