A new “batch” of thousands of North Korean soldiers are reportedly deploying to assist Russia in its war with Ukraine according to the Associated Press. Specifically, North Korea sent up to 3,000 soldiers to the Kursk region between January and February, reported South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The New York Times reported North Korean troops have suffered significant casualties, and Ukrainian officials say the North Koreans have “adopted extreme tactics on the battlefield” that make them stand out from the Russians. Tactics include detonating a grenade when wounded to avoid capture, adds the Times. Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrsky told the NYT in January that the North Korean soldiers were “highly motivated, well-trained” and “brave,” warning that they shouldn’t be underestimated.
The Trump administration has been working tirelessly during its first month in office to end the Ukraine-Russia war. Among Trump’s tactics are utilizing a deal to jointly develop mineral, oil and gas extraction in the nation, which was seen as a crucial step to negotiating a ceasefire in the war, writes the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The minerals agreement is only part of the picture. We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it’s part of a bigger picture,” Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and justice minister, told the Financial Times on the deal.
While the Trump administration has been clear it does not want to continue to pour U.S. taxpayer dollars into Ukraine’s defense for a war that has raged on for over three years, Ukraine President Zelenskyy stated “We will protect those trillions” received in aid from the United States. “We will prevent Russia from mining the minerals which will later be used to produce technologies for the three countries of the axis of evil,” Zelenskyy said Feb. 9 stating his desire for peace. “The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most. And in rebuilding Ukraine, they should have this priority. And they will.”
