The United States should consider “direct military action” if North Korean troops take part in the war in Ukraine. This was stated by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) after it became known that thousands of soldiers from North Korea had arrived in Russia.
“The Biden-Harris administration should make clear that North Korean troops’ participation in this conflict is a red line for the United States,” Turner said in a statement.
“If North Korean troops invade the sovereign territory of Ukraine, the United States should seriously consider direct military action against North Korean troops,” he added.
The White House has confirmed that at least 3,000 North Korean troops are training at military bases in eastern Russia, and it is understood that they will eventually be sent to Ukraine to fight alongside Kremlin forces.
The movement of soldiers to eastern Russia has been by ship. From the Wonsan region of North Korea to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok,” said White House National Security Advisor John Kirby.
According to Kirby, the soldiers went on to three military facilities in eastern Russia, where they are undergoing combat training.
“We don’t know yet whether these soldiers will be fighting alongside the Russian military, but that possibility is certainly a big concern,” Kirby said. “If they are deployed to fight against Ukraine, they will be fair game, they will be fair targets, and the Ukrainian military will defend against North Korean soldiers just as they defend against Russian soldiers,” he said.
Reports that North Korea is on the verge of entering a war against Ukraine on the side of Russia have prompted calls for the United States to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons provided to Ukraine.
“I have long challenged the Biden-Harris administration’s unwise position of restricting Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons against targets on Russian soil,” Turner said in a statement. “If North Korean forces attack Ukraine from Russian territory, Ukraine should be allowed to use American weapons in response.”
In June, the two dictators Putin and Kim Jong-un signed an agreement to help each other with troops and military equipment. Pyongyang is providing Moscow with artillery shells and ballistic missiles in exchange for technology for its nuclear and space programs.
