At the conclusion of the Brics summit in Kazan on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to claims regarding North Korea potentially sending troops to Russia. He emphasized that the management of their mutual defense agreement with Pyongyang was entirely up to Moscow.
Putin's remarks came in light of U.S. assertions that North Korea had dispatched approximately 3,000 soldiers to Russia, likely for possible deployment in Ukraine. This development raises concerns for Ukraine, which is currently facing manpower shortages.
When questioned by a reporter about satellite images suggesting North Korean troop movements, Putin acknowledged the validity of such images, stating, “Images are a serious thing. If there are images, then they reflect something.” However, he did not directly confirm or deny the allegations of North Korean troops being deployed.
During the summit, Putin accused Western nations of escalating the Ukraine conflict and insisted that they were under an “illusion” if they believed they could achieve a strategic defeat against Russia. He claimed that NATO officers and instructors were directly involved in the war, identifying specific European countries contributing to the efforts.
Ukraine's military intelligence has reported that North Korean units trained in Russia have already been deployed to the Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border, where significant Ukrainian operations took place in August. The Ukrainian intelligence agency confirmed the presence of these troops on October 23, 2024.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, visiting Russia for the first time since April 2022, called for a "just peace" in Ukraine during his address. He is scheduled to hold private talks with Putin regarding the ongoing conflict. Guterres stressed the importance of adhering to the UN Charter and principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, though he did not mention the North Korean troops.
This meeting marks Guterres's first encounter with Putin since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader in March 2023, related to the abduction of Ukrainian children. The Ukrainian foreign ministry has criticized Guterres for meeting with Putin, especially after he declined to attend a Ukrainian-led peace summit earlier this summer.
In his statements, Putin argued that a “more just world order” was being obstructed by those who have historically dominated others. He reiterated that external powers backing Ukraine were openly seeking a strategic defeat for Russia, asserting that only those unfamiliar with Russia's history would believe such a possibility could be realized.
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