US defense chief urges North Korea to withdraw troops from Russia

​​​​​​​By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urged North Korea on Wednesday to withdraw troops from Russia.

"It does have the potential of lengthening the conflict or broadening the conflict, if that continues," Austin said at a joint news conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun at the Pentagon.

Austin said evidence suggests North Korea sent 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia, and he expressed concern about the "unprecedented level of direct military cooperation" between Russia and North Korea.

"Some of these DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) troops have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we're seeing them outfit it with Russian uniforms and provide it with Russian equipment.

"I am increasingly concerned that the Kremlin plans to use these North Korean soldiers to support Russia's combat operations in Russia's Kursk region, near the border with Ukraine," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not prevail in Ukraine "even with more help" from North Korea, said Austin.

"Whether or not they'll be employed in the fight, it's left to be seen yet, but certainly if they are employed, then that's very disturbing, and so we remain concerned that they're going to use these troops in combat," he added.

Asked when North Korean soldiers may enter the fight against Ukrainian forces in Kursk, Austin said he "won't speculate" on the timing.

"This is something we're going to continue to watch, and we're going to continue to work with allies and partners to discourage Russia from employing these troops in combat," he added.