The defense ministers of Germany and the United Kingdom expressed concern on Wednesday over reports that North Korean troops are being sent to Russia ahead of a possible deployment to Ukraine.
Germany’s Boris Pistorius said during a visit to London to sign a historic bilateral defense pact that the entry of Pyongyang’s forces into the Russian war would represent “some kind of escalation.”
“I am quite concerned about the development,” he added.
His colleague John Healey said ministers “both fully condemn this as a potential escalation.”
However, he stated that while “it seems very likely that North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia, it was certainly not yet clear that they have been deployed to the front lines.”
Healey also called the move a “sign of desperation” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
