Kim Jong Un accuses US of prolonging Ukraine war
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said the U.S. and other countries supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia are extending the conflict, as Washington-led efforts to pull Kyiv and Moscow into negotiations appear to be well underway.
Why It Matters
A key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kim has funneled upward of 11,000 troops to support Moscow's troops since the fall of last year, according to Ukrainian, South Korean and Western estimates.
Moscow and Pyongyang inked a mutual defense pact last year. North Korea has sent munitions, missiles and fighters to Russia, raising speculation that the Kremlin has agreed to share weapons technology with the secretive nation as well as economic aid.
What To Know
The soldiers headed for the front lines in Russia's Kursk region, where Moscow has been attempting to end Ukraine's grip on a chunk of territory across the border since August.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Friday that North Korean soldiers had returned to clashes in Kursk, after Ukrainian officials said they hadn't been spotted along the front lines for several weeks. Kyiv's military said it believed Pyongyang's soldiers had sustained heavy casualties.
"Hundreds" of Russian and North Korean fighters were "eliminated," the Ukrainian leader said. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have publicly confirmed the East Asian country's involvement in the war against Kyiv.
The North Korean dictator said the U.S. and other Western countries backing Ukraine were "intentionally" drawing out the war in eastern Europe, according to remarks published on Sunday by state media.
Kim said during a visit to Pyongyang's Defense Ministry that these countries held the "unrealizable dream of dealing strategic setbacks to Russia."
Western officials have said the nearly three years of full-scale war Russia has waged against its neighbor has cost it, including sustaining hundreds of thousands of casualties.
Although the Kremlin mobilized its defense industry and dedicates a huge chunk of government spending to the armed forces, the fighting has claimed several thousands of its tanks, armored vehicles and artillery systems. Western experts have questioned how long Russia's economy can sustain its current levels of defense spending.
"Our army and people will invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army," Kim said.
Ukraine is dependent on Western aid, and the U.S. has for years provided the lion's share of this assistance. President Donald Trump swept back into power in November, pledging to end the war in Europe in just 24 hours.
He has been unable to do so, but has started efforts to get the Russian and Ukrainian leaders around the negotiating table. Trump told the New York Post on Saturday that he had spoken to Putin, after he remarked earlier in the week he would likely meet Zelensky in the coming days.
Trump has also suggested his administration "will have relations with North Korea, with Kim," although it is not clear how willing Pyongyang will be to engage in fresh dialogue with the president and his high-ranking officials.
Who Said What
Kim said in comments reported by the KCNA news agency on Sunday: "Standing in the center behind the war machine, which is stirring up the tragic situation in Ukraine that has lasted for three years amid a serious concern of the world people, is the U.S., an entity that is carrying the fixed name of the wrecker of global peace and stability."
Zelensky said in his evening address on Friday: "New assaults took place in the areas of the Kursk operation—the Russian army with North Korean soldiers brought in again."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Trump will be able to swiftly secure some form of ceasefire agreement, and whether it could open the door to fresh dialogue with Pyongyang.