(Reuters) – NATO members said on Friday that North Korea's troop deployment was a “dangerous expansion” of the country's support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the 32-member military alliance warned that “deepening military cooperation” between Russia and North Korea “has a major impact on Euro-Atlantic security, and also impacts the Indo-Pacific”.
Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Ukraine also supported NATO's statement.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in late October that North Korean troops had been sent to Russia and North Korean military units had been deployed to the Kursk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday after a meeting with Rutte that “a more decisive response from Western countries is needed to North Korea's new role in the Russian-Ukrainian war”.
(This story has been supplemented by adding NATO Secretary General's last name 'Rutte' in paragraph 4)