Ukraine-Russia latest: Trump ‘to call Putin’ as Biden plans final surge in military aid to Kyiv

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven democracies and three key allies said on Tuesday they were gravely concerned by the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and the possibility they may be used in the war against Ukraine.

“The DPRK’s (North Korea) direct support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, besides showing Russia’s desperate efforts to compensate its losses, would mark a dangerous expansion of the conflict,” the ministers said in a statement.

Besides G7 members the United States, Japan, Italy, Britain, Germany, France and Canada, the statement was also signed by South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

The ministers said they condemned “in the strongest possible terms” increased military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including Russia’s “unlawful procurement” of North Korean ballistic missiles.

They said they were deeply concerned about the potential for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology to North Korea, and would work with international partners “for a coordinated response to this new development”.

Russia has rejected claims that it was behind a series of hoax bomb threats targeting polling stations in the United States on election day, as well as reports suggesting a Russian plot to plant incendiary devices on planes.

Moscow dismissed the accusations after the FBI revealed that multiple bomb threats had been made on Tuesday against voting locations in key battleground states, including Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Many of these threats appeared to originate from email domains linked to Russia, raising suspicions of foreign interference, though no bombs were found at the sites.

In addition to the bomb hoaxes, US security officials indicated that parcels which exploded at logistics depots in Europe were allegedly part of a test for a potential Russian plot to place incendiary devices on cargo flights to the US.

Authorities suggested that these incidents could be a precursor to more serious attacks aimed at disrupting US-bound cargo traffic.

However, Russia categorically denied any involvement in these activities, calling the reports unfounded.

Russia has launched 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones on Ukraine over the past three months, Ukraine has said.

Kyiv claims their air defence destroyed 71% of them but 5% made direct hits.

In addition, the Air Force’s daily reports mark some of them as “disappeared from radar”, which means some of the drones were either subject to countermeasures by electronic warfare units or failed to reach their targets

North Korean troops engaged in clashes against Ukrainian forces that are fighting in the Russian Kursk region, the New York Timesreported late last night, citing an unnamed senior US official and an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.

The engagement was limited and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses, the Ukrainian official said. The Ukrainian official added that the North Korean troops fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade.

The US official told the newspaper that a significant number of North Korean troops were killed.

The office of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian defence ministry, the Russian defence ministry, the Pentagon and the US Department of State have not issued a comment on the report.

Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the first clash, describing it as a “small-scale” skirmish, had taken place between Ukrainian and North Korean troops.

“Yes, I think so. It is (an) engagement,” Mr Umerov told South Korea’s KBS television in an interview broadcast yesterday, when asked if a clash had occurred. He said the engagement was small for now, but more are expected as the number of North Koreans deployed grows.

Ukrainian troops launched an incursion into Russia’s border Kursk region on 6 August, taking a number of settlements under control in the first such deployment onto the Russian territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine’s air defence units destroyed 38 Russian drones overnight, its air force said this morning.

Another 22 Russian drones were lost over the Ukrainian territory and its airspace, the air force said on Telegram, without providing further details.

The air force has said before that lost drones are usually intercepted by electronic warfare. The air force also said that Russia launched two missiles on the southern Odesa region late last night.

Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has ratified a military agreement with North Korea that promises mutual assistance in the event of an attack.

The treaty, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to Pyongyang in June, states that both countries would provide military support “by all means” if either is attacked.

The deal marks the most significant military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Cold War.

The treaty had already been ratified by the lower house, the State Duma, on 24 October.

This comes amid growing concerns over North Korean involvement in Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine.

On Monday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed reports that up to 10,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region.

These troops are reportedly preparing to join Russian forces in Ukraine, marking the first large-scale deployment of North Korean forces in a foreign conflict since the Korean War in 1950.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election, hoping for a “strong bipartisan support” his country in its fight against Russia.

It comes after concerns were voiced among Ukraine’s allies that US support for Ukraine could wane under a Trump presidency.

Mr Zelensky said: “I appreciate president Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.

“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.

“We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States. We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations.

“Ukraine, as one of Europe’s strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the transatlantic community with the support of our allies.

“I am looking forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic partnership with the United States.”

It’s not only the American public holding its breath in anticipation as the vote projections for the Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump presidential contest roll in. Russian president Vladimir Putin is among those watching closely, with much at stake in the outcome.

The Kremlin seems undecided about whom it would prefer to see as the next US president. Putin clearly understands that, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office, the US stance toward Russia is likely to remain unfriendly. In fact, some animosity between Trump and the Kremlin has been playing out over the past few months.

Regardless of who wins, the Kremlin has reportedly developed two alternative plans for resolving the military conflict with Ukraine — one in the event that Trump wins and another for if Harris becomes president.

Svetlana Satchkova writes: