Russia wants NKorea troops to prolong war: Ukraine

The transfer of North Korea troops to Russia and their possible deployment in eastern Ukraine shows Moscow wants to escalate its invasion, a senior Ukrainian presidency source told AFP Friday.

The comments came after Seoul's spy agency said North Korea had decided to send a "large-scale" troop deployment to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Some 1,500 of their special forces were already in Russia's Far East undergoing training, it added.

"This proves once again that Moscow wants a bigger and longer war and is trying to drag its allies into the war," the source said.

"And this, in turn, proves that Ukraine is absolutely right to talk to its partners right now about strengthening our positions in accordance with the Victory Plan."

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky this week unveiled his highly anticipated five-point road map to end the war with Russia. It involves calling on Kyiv's allies to extend an invitation to join the US-led NATO alliance.

"We need more cooperation now to prevent Moscow from buying time and somehow benefitting from all this," said the Kyiv source.

"It's impossible to predict how this will play out on the battlefield if the North Korean military is there. This may complicate the situation," the source added.

Pyongyang and Moscow have been allies since North Korea's founding after World War II, and have drawn even closer since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Seoul and Washington have long claimed that Kim Jong Un has been sending weapons for use in Ukraine.