President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia has officially strengthened its alliance with Iran and North Korea, posing a direct threat to the United States.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Feb. 2, Zelensky added that while these countries had previously cooperated on weapons and technology, they are now openly engaged in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
"For the first time in decades, Russia has officially demonstrated its alliance by involving Iran and North Korea. Yes, they had relations before, exchanging technology, weapons, and so on, but now they have actively brought them into the war. Iran is supplying weapons, North Korea is providing both weapons and troops," Zelensky said. "(...) As of today, North Korea, Russia, and Iran form a concrete alliance against Ukraine and the entire West. I believe this is, in fact, an alliance against the United States. This is a very dangerous alliance."
He emphasized that the three nations have deepened their military cooperation, effectively merging their defense industries to ramp up weapons production.
"These three countries, aside from being nuclear powers, are highly escalatory states, and they are certainly not about peace. They are now united, they are strategic partners. They have effectively merged their defense industries, and they will continue to expand and increase weapons production," he warned.
Zelensky also raised concerns about North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region, saying they are gaining combat experience that could be used in future conflicts elsewhere. "This is happening now, and it is very dangerous for the United States and for many countries in that region," he said.
Earlier reports indicated that North Korean troops in the Kursk region had been undergoing rotations due to heavy losses. However, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces recently reported that no North Korean presence had been detected in the region for about three weeks.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
