North Korea says it will send troops to Ukraine within a month

Last week, President Vladimir Putin embarked on his first official state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) – North Korea in nearly a quarter of a century. During this visit, Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a defense pact in the North Korean capital on June 19.

The military treaty stipulates: "In the event that either party is subjected to a state of war due to armed aggression by a single state or multiple states, the other party shall promptly provide military and other forms of assistance using all means at its disposal."

In response, Pyongyang announced earlier this week that it plans to dispatch a military engineering unit to assist Russian forces on the ground in the Donetsk region. These troops are anticipated to join the battlefield as early as next month.

The DPRK has already provided nearly two million rounds of artillery ammunition, rockets for Russian multiple launch rocket systems, and purportedly, ballistic missiles to bolster Putin’s forces since the leaders' meeting in Russia last September. The imminent deployment of North Korean combat troops raises concerns about potential escalation in the conflict, particularly given skepticism among analysts about Pyongyang's prospects on the battlefield.

Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder, speaking during a briefing on June 25, criticized the deployment of North Korean troops, suggesting they were being sent into a perilous situation. He questioned the wisdom of Pyongyang's decision, stating, "If I were managing North Korean military personnel, I would seriously reconsider sending forces to face likely heavy casualties in an unlawful war against Ukraine – we've seen the significant losses suffered by Russian forces."

He also emphasized that the US was closely monitoring what appeared to be increasingly close military relations between the two nations.

Ilya Ponomarev, a former member of the Russian parliament, told the UK's Daily Express that North Korea has emerged as a crucial conduit between the Kremlin and Beijing. He suggested that Beijing could indirectly facilitate the transfer of military equipment to Moscow via Pyongyang, thus circumventing Western sanctions.

As he explained: “North Korea is one of key Russian partners and the meaning of the rationale behind them becoming such a partner is because they are acting as a bridge between China and Russia.

“Essentially all the military equipment that is delivered from North Korea was developed for the North Koreans by the Chinese.

“China is cautious not to fall foul of secondary sanctions by the US, but North Korea is not in danger.

“So, there is no problem for the Chinese to assist North Koreans and then North Koreans to make trade with Russia and benefit from this both financially and in terms of military development.”

Michael Carpenter, a member of the US National Security Council commented, the day after Putin and Kim signed their defense treaty, that the coalition that Putin was building between Russia, North Korea, Iran and Syria stood in stark contrast to the group of 50 nations standing beside Ukraine in the “Ramstein” Defense Contact Group and the approximately 100 countries that supported the UN Charter principles in the Global Peace Summit held in Switzerland on June 15 and 16.