OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:14 PM – Thursday, October 17, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that North Korea has joined Russia in its war efforts against Ukraine during a news conference held on Thursday at the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, according to a report by the Ukrainian National News Agency.
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“I know that there is an intention to train 10,000 soldiers from different branches of the [Korean] military: ground forces, air forces, that is, an entire brigade” Zelenskyy stated.
“That is, he [Putin] wants to involve not only infantry, but also specialists from various branches of the military,” he continued. “What we know is that North Korea is already preparing a contingent to fight against Ukraine.”
According to the report, Zelenskyy also noted that he had spoken with U.S. officials about what was described as an extremely urgent matter.
“I have already spoken with a number of leaders that it is an officially confirmed fact that the second country is getting involved in the war and will fight against Ukraine as a contingent alongside Russia,” he said.
10,000 North Korean troops are currently being prepared to join Russian forces in their fight against Ukraine, AP News reported, reiterating Zelenskyy’s claims.
However, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that NATO has not yet confirmed the claim regarding the thousands of North Korean troops.
Zelenskyy’s plan to combat Russian and North Korean troops purportedly working in tandem were outlined by the Ukrainian leader, who announced his suggestions to parliament.
It consists of five key points, and was reported by the BBC outlet:
– Inviting Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance.
-The strengthening of Ukrainian defence against Russian forces, including getting permission from allies to use their long-range weapons on Russian territory, and the continuation of Ukraine’s military operations on Russian territory to avoid creation of the “buffer zones” in Ukraine.
-Containment of Russia via a non-nuclear strategic deterrent package deployed on Ukrainian soil.
-Joint protection by the U.S. and the EU of Ukraine’s critical natural resources and joint use of their economic potential.
-For the post-war period only: replacing some U.S. troops stationed across Europe with Ukrainian soldiers.
However, Putin has consistently warned the U.S. and West in general that if the Kremlin discovers Ukraine has begun employing long-range missiles gifted by foreign allies, then that would give him the go ahead to start using Russian nuclear weapons, reiterating that the U.S. would not be safe or spared in the WWIII-like hypothetical situation if they were to supply Ukraine with anything of the sort.
Additionally, the BBC reported that in the same speech, Zelenskyy commended the United States for gifting the new defense assistance package for Ukraine worth $425 million, which includes “long-range weapons and air defense systems,” leading Americans to wonder if the Biden-Harris administration has discreetly sent the Ukrainian president the exact kind of weaponry that could prompt a future war with the U.S., which Putin has already warned about.
Nevertheless, a White House spokesperson said that the newest package merely comprised of “a range of additional capabilities,” including air defense and artillery systems, ammunition, and hundreds of armored vehicles, without mentioning the long-range weapons.
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