WASHINGTON — Some 8,000 North Korean troops are now in Russia, near the Ukrainian border, and preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days, the Biden administration announced Thursday.

The new figure represents a dramatic increase from the day before, when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said only that “some” of the troops had moved toward the Ukrainian border, in the Kursk region, where Moscow’s forces were deployed. struggled to repel a Ukrainian incursion.

It would also mean that most of the North Korean troops that the United States and its allies say were sent to Russia are now on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

The United States estimates that around 10,000 North Korean troops are present in Russia. Seoul and its allies estimate that number has risen to 11,000, while Ukraine puts the figure at 12,000.

Of the 8,000 troops in Kursk, “we have not yet seen these troops deploy to fight Ukrainian forces but we expect that to happen in the coming days,” Secretary of State Antony said. Blinken during a press conference with Austin and his South Korean counterpart. counterparts.

He said Russia was training North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones and “basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating it fully intends to use these forces in front-line operations.

North Korea’s decision to strengthen relations with Russia has sparked concerns around the world about how this could expand the war and what Russian military aid will be provided in return.

It became a key topic as U.S. and South Korean leaders met this week in Washington, fueling concerns about the presence of these soldiers will further destabilize the Asia-Pacific region and expand Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul condemned the deployment “in the strongest possible terms” and called for the immediate withdrawal of troops. North Korea’s belligerent actions put not only the European continent but also the Korean Peninsula at risk and Seoul is committed to “taking necessary measures accordingly”, he said.

Austin reiterated that Moscow had provided North Korean troops with Russian uniforms and equipment, another indication that they would likely be used on the front lines.

“Make no mistake, if these North Korean troops engaged in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets,” Austin said.

He said, however, that the injection of North Korean troops was unlikely to cause Ukraine to lose ground in Kursk.

“Those 10,000 people are nowhere near replacing the numbers the Russians have lost” in their fighting so far, Austin said. The United States estimates that more than 500,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in the conflict, which has lasted more than two years. The United States has provided more than $59 billion in military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia, and Austin promised Thursday that another aid package would be announced soon.

U.S. and South Korean leaders have called on China to engage, saying Beijing should be deeply concerned about the moves and the possibility they could further destabilize the region.

“If China is serious about its desire for de-escalation, it should ask Russia some tough questions at this point and ask itself whether it intends to widen this conflict through this type of behavior,” Austin said.

Questions are being raised about what new military technologies North Korea could obtain from Russia in exchange for their deployment and whether that could lead other countries to send their own forces to fight in the war.

North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday for the first time in nearly a year, demonstrating a potential breakthrough in its ability to launch long-range nuclear attacks on the continental United States. Some experts have speculated that Russia may have provided technological assistance to North Korea during the launch.

While the meeting in Washington was underway, the United States, South Korea and Japan issued a joint statement condemning the missile launch as a “blatant violation” of numerous UN Security Council resolutions and criticizing the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly deployment. North Korean troops.

“We strongly urge (North Korea) to immediately cease its series of provocative and destabilizing actions that threaten peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” they said.

In a dramatic moment at a U.N. Security Council meeting earlier Thursday, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood for the first time noted the number of North troops Koreans near Ukraine.

“And I have a very respectful question for my Russian colleague: Does Russia still maintain that there are no DPRK troops in Russia? This is my only question and my last point,” he said.

Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, did not respond to the comment during the meeting convened by Moscow to discuss international peace and security. The session was then suspended.

In addition to its troops, North Korea has also supplied munitions to Russia, and earlier this month the White House released images it said showed North Korean shipments. 1,000 containers of military equipment there by train.

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Lederer reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Illia Novikov in kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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