U.S. continues to monitor N. Korea’s support for Russia: Pentagon

The United States continues to monitor North Korea’s support for Russia, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday, following a news report that six North Korean military officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk last week.

Ukrainian media released the report, reinforcing speculation that Pyongyang could even deploy troops in support of Russia in the protracted war against Ukraine, in addition to sending munitions, ballistic missiles and other equipment to Moscow.

“I haven’t seen those reports. So I can’t confirm that,” the Pentagon’s deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh told a press briefing in response to a question about the report.

“In terms of support to Russia, we’ve certainly seen North Korea willing to support Russia by military means. It’s something that we continue to monitor,” she added.

Singh stressed that what Washington is more concerned about is supporting Ukraine and what the war-torn country needs to be successful on the battlefield.

During a parliamentary audit session on Tuesday (Korea time), South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said that Seoul sees the possibility of the North deploying troops to support Russia as “very high,” considering the two countries’ “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty that includes a mutual defense clause.

In a separate press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that he does not have any assessment to offer on the possibility of Pyongyang sending its regular troops to Ukraine.

In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that calls for one party to provide military aid to the other “without delay” in the event of an armed invasion — a pledge that many said amounted to a revival of the two countries’ Cold War-era military alliance.

The treaty has led to a flurry of speculation that Pyongyang could go beyond just sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.