North Korea's entry into Ukraine war requires 'firm response,' Blinken says

The deployment of North Korean troops in the Russia-Ukraine conflict requires "a firm response," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday after a meeting in Brussels with NATO Chief Mark Rutte.

"We had a meeting about support for Ukraine (...) and this new element, North Korean troops injected into the battle, and almost literally in combat, that requires and will have a firm response," he said.

The United States contends that North Korean troops are deployed in combat operations in Russia's Kursk region, where the Ukrainian Army launched an offensive in August and is occupying part of the area.

North Korean troops are allegedly involved in the conflict but not on Ukrainian soil.

Blinken also condemned China’s collaboration with Russia in "its war effort" against Ukraine, as well as Iran.

That is why, he insisted, it is essential to contain the globalization of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through an effort to "work more closely together."

"In recent years, NATO has strengthened its ties with its partners in the Indo-Pacific region, and we will do so even more in the coming weeks and months," he said.

Keeping up the pressure on Ukraine

Blinken’s meeting in Europe is the first since the November 5 election when Donald Trump was elected to take office in January.

This is relevant because of Donald Trump's promise to end the war in Ukraine and reach an agreement between Moscow and Kiev that would end the war. It could also mean the end of military support which was provided by the Biden-Harris administration. In addition to Mark Rutte, Blinken has also scheduled a meeting with Josep Borrell, head of European Union diplomacy, and with Kaja Kallas, who will take over this portfolio when the next European executive takes office.

According to AFP, some 9.2 billion dollars remain from the budget approved in the spring.

Of that total, $7.1 billion comes from U.S. arms reserves and $2.1 billion has been allocated to finance arms purchase contracts, according to the Pentagon.

Federal government sources quoted by AFP claim that the administration intends to use all of these resources.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned of the risk of Putin taking advantage of the transition in the White House to benefit himself.

Whatever Europe can bring to Ukraine "must be mobilized now,” Baerbock said Monday.

Blinken's visit follows drone attacks on an unprecedented scale this past weekend against Ukraine.

The New York Times claimed that Russia had massed 50,000 troops, including North Koreans, in an attempt to drive out Ukrainian troops who have controlled this part of the Kursk region for the past three months.

At his confirmation hearing before the European Parliament, Kallas expressed his conviction that the EU should maintain support for Ukraine "for as long as necessary."

"The situation on the battlefield is difficult. And that is why we must continue to work every day," the former prime minister of Estonia said.

"Today, tomorrow and for as long as necessary and with as much military, financial and humanitarian aid as necessary," he added.