US monitoring reports of North Korean troop deployment to aid Russia in Ukraine war: Pentagon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US is monitoring the North Korea's reported deployment of soldiers to help Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine, Pentagon said Thursday.

The Pentagon has "seen the reporting and the comments about potential DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) forces going to Russia or going to Ukraine. I can tell you right now, we're looking into those," Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.

The US can not confirm or corroborate those reports, he added.

His remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing an intelligence information, said Thursday that Russia is preparing to deploy 10,000 North Korean soldiers in the fight against Kyiv.

"If true, that would demonstrate an increase in the cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and I think that would also demonstrate the dire situation that Russia finds itself in terms of its forces on the battlefield," Ryder said.

The casualties that Russia is experiencing on the front lines are "extremely significant," upwards of 600,000 killed or wounded, he added.

"And so it just demonstrates the desperation in terms of identifying additional forces for their military, but it's something that will continue to keep a close eye on," Ryder stressed.

Previously, the US expressed concern over the "deepening military cooperation" between Russia and North Korea.