North Korea to send troops to support Russia in conflict with Ukraine

Last week, President Vladimir Putin made an official state visit to North Korea, his first in nearly 25 years. During the visit, Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a defense pact in Pyongyang on June 19. The military treaty states: "In the event that any one of the two sides is put in a state of war by an armed invasion from an individual state or several states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay."
Following the agreement, North Korea announced that it will send a military engineering unit to support Russian forces in the Donetsk region, with troops expected to arrive as early as next month, Kyiv Post reported.
Since the leaders met in Russia in September, the DPRK has already provided Russia with nearly two million rounds of artillery ammunition, rockets for multiple launch rocket systems, and allegedly ballistic missiles. The involvement of North Korean combat troops raises concerns about the conflict's escalation, particularly as experts believe the deployment may not fare well for Pyongyang's sappers.
Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder questioned the wisdom of the deployment during a briefing on June 25, stating that North Korean troops were being sent to their slaughter in an illegal war against Ukraine. He said, “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 – we’ve seen the kinds of casualties that Russian forces [have been taking].”
He also mentioned that the US was monitoring the deepening military ties between the two countries.