The Pentagon has been warning for months about the Moscow-Pyongyang 'alliance'
As evidence mounts about the possible North Korean intervention in Ukraine, it's important to look at how Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang could have led to the current situation.
Back in June, when questioned about the growing military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang, the Department of Defense in the United States responded with a very concerning answer.
“I mean, that's certainly something to keep an eye on”, declared Pentagon press secretary major general Pat Ryder about Russia and North Korea developing a closer bond.
“I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine”, commented the Pentagon spokesperson.
According to political news website Politico, one of the pillars of Moscow’s strategy in Ukraine has been overwhelming Kyiv with Russia’s numeric superiority.
However, with the war dragging on since its start in February 2024, Russian troops run the risk of spreading too thin in the Ukrainian battlefield, as losses continue to grow.
Russia, however, has started to rely on mercenaries from places as far as Cuba and even forcibly recruiting African migrants to fight in Ukraine.
Politico highlights how in early June, Russia, and North Korea signed a partnership treaty together, that many experts label a military alliance in all but name.
Although the details of the Moscow-Pyongyang treaty are unknown to the public, both countries have revealed that it includes a “mutual assistance” clause, establishing that one country will provide military assistance to the other in case of conflict.
Reuters writes that Washington and Seoul have accused Pyongyang to send military equipment to Moscow in exchange for food and technology. North Korea and Russia deny these claims.
At the time, Reuters wrote that North Korea was sending an engineer and construction unit into Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, to start to rebuild the country.
Since then, US intelligence claims that up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers could be training in Russia, waiting to be sent off into Ukraine.