Ukraine-Russia live: South Korea ‘won’t stand idle’ over North bolstering Putin’s forces as Kyiv downs drones
US defence chief says North Korea’s involvement alongside Russia would be ‘very, very serious’
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South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed he “won’t sit idle” over reports that North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to aid Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking in Seoul after talks with visiting Polish president Andrzej Duda, Mr Yoon described the North Korean deployment as “a provocation that threatens global security beyond the Korean Peninsula and Europe”. He added: “South Korea won’t sit idle over this.”
It has been reported that South Korea is now considering sending offensive weapons to Ukraine, breaking their rule not to send weapons to countries engaged in active combat.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has said it shot down 80 per cent of the 50 Russian drones launched in an overnight attack, while another seven disappeared from radars.
The Ukrainian Air Force said one drone was still in Ukrainian airspace while two others had turned back towards Russia and Belarus.
Ukraine uses electronic warfare systems to confuse drones’ navigation systems, which often leads them to disappear from radars or change course.
South Korean protesters oppose sending weapons to Ukraine
North Korea sent 3,000 troops to Russia for Ukraine war, says South
North Korea sent 3,000 troops to Russia for Ukraine war, says South
Russian government jet reportedly lands in Pyongyang in latest evidence of continuing cooperation between two nations
Britain and Germany sign new defence agreement as Ukraine tensions rise
Britain and Germany signed a landmark defence agreement on Wednesday and pledged to co-operate on exercises on Nato’s eastern flank as they stressed the need for Europe to be able to defend itself given possible escalation in the war in Ukraine.
Europe’s two biggest spenders on defence said the pact includes a commitment to develop new weapons that have a greater range and accuracy than current long-range missile systems like Storm Shadow, which Britain has given to Ukraine.
Highlighting their security concerns, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on allies to respond to evidence that North Korea is providing Russia with troops to get involved in the war.
“I see this as a sign of desperation, as well as a shocking escalation,” British defence secretary John Healey said at a joint press conference, adding it was highly likely North Korean troops had been deployed into Russia, but less clear if they had been sent to Ukraine yet.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius said he was “quite concerned about that development”, as it illustrated how international conflicts were increasingly interlinked, making them harder to de-escalate.
Putin attends BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia
EU urges BRICS countries to tell Putin to end Ukraine war
The European Union has urged countries attending the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, to ask President Vladimir Putin to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
More than 20 leaders, including Putin, Chinese president Xi Jinping, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian are attending the summit.
EU foreign policy spokesperson Peter Stano condemned “Russia’s misuse” of its chairmanship of the group, noting that there is an arrest warrant for the Russian leader.
“We trust that all participants of the summit in Kazan will use this event to call on Putin once again to immmediately end the war against the Ukrainian people,” he said.
The spokesperson also said the EU supports United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is attending the summit.
“We trust that he will reinforce the call on Russia and on Putin to completely and unconditionally stop the brutal aggression against the Ukrainian people,” he said.
Germany summons North Korean charge d'affaires over support for Russia
Germany has summoned North Korea’s charge d’affaires over growing concerns that Pyongyang is building its support for Russia in the war in Ukraine, the foreign ministry in Berlin said.
“Should reports be true on North Korean soldiers in Ukraine and should North Korea now be supporting the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine with troops, this would be serious and in violation of international law,” the foreign office said in a post on social media platform X. North Korean support for Russia threatens German security and European peace, the ministry added.
In pictures: Injured Ukrainian soldiers receive treatment in Lviv
South Korea may supply arms to Ukraine after ‘North troops in Russia’
Ukraine Russia war latest: Putin’s forces hit by drone attack in Crimea
Ukrainian intelligence suggests that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join Russian forces
Russian forces capture two villages in eastern Ukraine, state media reports
Russian forces have captured the villages of Serebrianka and Mykolaivka in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region, the Tass news agency has cited Russia’s Defence Ministry as claiming.
The Independent could not verify these claims - and Moscow often says it controls towns prior to actually entering them.
North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for Ukraine war, South Korean lawmakers say
North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday after being briefed by the national intelligence agency, twice the amount of a previous estimate.
Pyongyang had promised to provide a total of around 10,000 troops, and their deployment was expected to be completed by December, the lawmakers told journalists.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied reports about North Korean soldiers heading to the battlefield which have also been made by Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies on Tuesday to respond to evidence of North Korean involvement in Russia’s war.
A top US diplomat said on Monday that Washington was consulting with its allies on the implications of North Korean involvement and added that such a development would be a “dangerous and highly concerning development” if true.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service said on Friday the North had sent around 1,500 soldiers to Russia by ship.
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