G7 and allies warn Russia over use of North Korean troops in Ukraine

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven democracies and three key allies said on Tuesday they were gravely concerned by the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and the possibility they may be used in the war against Ukraine.

"The DPRK's (North Korea) direct support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, besides showing Russia's desperate efforts to compensate its losses, would mark a dangerous expansion of the conflict," the ministers said in a statement.

Besides G7 members of the United States, Japan, Italy, Britain, Germany, France, and Canada, the statement was also signed by South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

The ministers said they condemned "in the strongest possible terms" increased military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including Russia's "unlawful procurement" of North Korean ballistic missiles.

They said they were deeply concerned about the potential for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology to North Korea and would work with international partners "for a coordinated response to this new development."

Reuters