ANKARA

The NATO chief on Monday said North Korean troops were deployed in Russia and called for them to "cease these actions immediately.”

Secretary-General Mark Rutte said allies were briefed by a delegation from the Republic of Korea “on North Korea's growing involvement in Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Following the briefing by senior representatives of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and National Defense Ministry, he said: "I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region."

This move represents a “significant escalation in the DPRK’s ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war,” and “another breach of UN Security Council resolutions,” Rutte added.

He said it is “a dangerous expansion of Russia's war,” and called on Russia and North Korea “to cease these actions immediately.”

Rutte said “the deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk is also a sign of Putin's growing desperation,” adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin was seeking “foreign support” against Ukraine’s “courage and resilience.”

The secretary-general vowed NATO’s continued support for Ukraine and said discussions are ongoing on “the need to further strengthen military support Ukraine.”

During a joint news conference with Rutte earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed 10,000 North Korean soldiers could join Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

He said that according to Ukrainian intelligence, it has information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to occupied Ukrainian territories.

The Ukrainian president's remarks came moments after Rutte said NATO had "no evidence that North Korean soldiers are involved in the fight."

South Korea had earlier claimed that Pyongyang sent 1,500 soldiers to Russia aboard navy ships on Oct. 8-13 to support Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine that started in February 2022.