The United States will not introduce new restrictions on Ukraine's use of American weapons if North Korean troops engage in combat, the Pentagon said on Oct. 28 following NATO's confirmation of North Korean troops' deployment to Kursk Oblast.
"A portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast near the border with Ukraine," said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, Reuters reported.
The U.S. said on Oct. 26 that North Korean troops are being dispatched to Kursk Oblast, a Russian border region facing a Ukrainian offensive.
Some 10,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to eastern Russia for training, up from an estimate of 3,000 troops on Oct. 23, according to the Pentagon.
U.S. President Joe Biden described the development as "a very dangerous."
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said already on Oct. 24 that the first units had been deployed in Kursk Oblast. Yet, the Pentagon declined to confirm that North Korean forces were already in the area.
"It is likely that they are moving in that direction towards Kursk. But I don't have more details just yet," Singh said.
Previously, Ukraine's military intelligence said that Russia is preparing to deploy 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals. The first North Korean troops were to be deployed in the combat zone on Oct. 27 or 28, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russia and North Korea have initially dismissed the reports but recently turned to more evasive rhetoric as evidence of the troops' dispatch mounted.
Washington still prohibits Kyiv from using American-made long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia. At the same time, the U.S. is planning to provide Ukraine with an aid package of $700-800 million for the domestic production of long-range capabilities, Zelensky announced on Oct. 21.
Chris York
