NATO confirms that North Korea has sent troops to join Russia’s war in Ukraine
Associated PressOct 23
Zelenskyy Condemns Allies for 'Zero' Response to North Korean Troop Deployment
Above: Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the Nordic Council In Iceland on October 29, 2024 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Image copyright: Micah Garen/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday condemned allies for, as he described, giving "zero" response to North Korea's decision to send troops to Russia.
In an interview with South Korea's KBS television channel, Zelenskyy said that Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin "is checking the reaction of the West" to the move, adding: "I believe that after all these reactions, Putin will ... increase the contingent ... The reaction that is there today is nothing."
The Spin
Pro-Ukraine narrative
Putin is watching the reaction of the West to the involvement of North Korean troops — a major escalation of the conflict — and so far, nothing has been done. As a result of this failing, we can be confident that Putin will only increase this contingent as time moves on.
Pro-establishment narrative
The US remains concerned about North Korean troop deployments near Ukraine's borders and will remain in close contact with Ukraine to ensure that this threat is responded to accordingly. Should North Koreans become belligerents in the war, there will be nothing to stop Ukraine attacking them with US weapons.