NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called the presence on European soil of North Korean troops fighting on the side of Russia in the war it started with Ukraine is “deeply dangerous for global security” and called for a change in the conflict’s trajectory.
Rutte addressed the issue in an op-ed for Politico, reports Ukrinform.
“While we seek a just and lasting end to the conflict, he (Vladimir Putin – ed.)’s only prolonging and expanding it. (…) This dangerous expansion of the conflict escalates the war and demonstrates that our security is not regional, it is global,” noted the Secretary General.
Rutte added that a series of failures by Vladimir Putin after launching a senseless war against Ukraine has made Russia more dependent on its authoritarian friends: China, Iran, and North Korea.
“These deepening military and economic ties between a reckless Russia and an emboldened North Korea don’t just threaten Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, they are deeply dangerous for global security,” the Secretary General said, adding that China, in his opinion, bears “particular responsibility” to use its influence in Pyongyang and Moscow to force the parties to stop these actions. “Beijing cannot pretend to promote peace while turning a blind eye to increasing aggression,” he added.
According to Rutte, Europe should not only support Ukraine, but also “shift the conflict’s trajectory”.
“We need to raise the cost for Putin and his enabling authoritarian friends. We also need to invest more in our relationship with our Indo-Pacific partners. (…) Our Indo-Pacific partners are already doing a lot for Ukraine, and we hope they can step up their support even further,” the politician believes.
Rutte recalled that backing Ukraine costs only a fraction of Allies’ annual military budgets and is less than 1% of annual GDP. “That’s a small price to pay for peace,” he emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, referring to the Pentagon, more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in Kursk region to help Russia sustain its war against Ukraine.
The first combat clash between Ukrainian soldiers and North Korean troops has already been reported in Russia’s Kursk region, as confirmed by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Photo: PAP/EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS
Source: North Korean troops on European soil dangerous expansion of conflict - Rutte
