Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky urges Trump to back Kyiv as Kremlin says ‘let’s see’ if he helps end war

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.

Prominent Russian nationalist and former militia commander Igor Girkin has lost his appeal against a four-year prison sentence, the Supreme Court ruled.

Girkin, who rose to notoriety under the nickname Igor Strelkov during the fighting in eastern Ukraine nearly a decade ago, was convicted in January by a Moscow court for inciting extremism - a charge he has denied.

The former top military commander of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” became a controversial figure after publicly criticising President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military's handling of the war in Ukraine.

Despite Girkin's appeal, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

The G7, involving some of the world’s richest nations, have made clear that they believe the reports of thousands of North Korean troops being used to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine show Vladimir Putin’s “desperation” to compensate for losses on the frontline.

Putin’s forces are believed to be losing hundreds of troops a day, with Ukrainian estimates going as high as 1,200 to 1,500, so the more than 10,000 troops South Korea believes are in Russia would last two weeks or so at that rate.

“In the big picture, even 12,000 soldiers don’t affect the general situation of the war significantly,” says Emil Kastehelmi, who runs the Black Bird Group, which tracks the war in Ukraine.

The troops are already under fire, being shelled in the Russian border region of Kursk, according to Kyiv. That is the area where Ukrainian troops have held territory, having started a daring raid in August.

It is clear what Vladimir Putin gains from thousands of North Korean troops joining Russia’s prolonged war in Ukraine.

But the motivation behind Kim Jong-un sending young and inexperienced soldiers into a battle that will enter its third winter this year is less apparent.

Read the full analysis below:

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.”

The upper house of Russia’s parliament, the Federation Council, has voted in favour of ratifying a treaty of partnership between Russia and North Korea.

Last month, Russian lawmakers in the lower house ratified the treaty of mutual defence with North Korea by voting 397-0 to endorse the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty which obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance using “all means” if either is attacked.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the treaty, which includes a mutual defence clause, during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June.

Russia and North Korea have deepened cooperation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, with South Korea, Ukraine and the United States saying North Korean troops are on the ground in Russia and preparing to deploy in support of Russia.

Moscow has neither denied not confirmed that.

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 Times reported 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.