Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III confirmed there are North Korean troops in Russia, but it is unclear if they are preparing to become a co-belligerent in Russia's war on Ukraine.
"We are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops that have gone to … Russia," Austin told reporters in Rome. "What exactly they are doing is left to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out."
Austin said the United States is trying to get fidelity on why the North Korean soldiers are in Russia. "We will continue to pull this thread and see what happens here," he said. "If they're co-belligerents — [if] their intention is to participate in this war on Russia's behalf — that is a very, very serious issue." Impacts of such a move would be felt not only in Europe, but the Indo-Pacific region also, the secretary said.
Austin noted that South Korean leaders are intently watching this play out.
North Korea is one of Russia's few open allies in its unjust war on Ukraine. North Korea has shipped arms and munitions to Russia, "and this is a next step," Austin said.
President Vladimir Putin has taken significant casualties in his misguided war on Ukraine. U.S. officials said recently that Russia has lost more than 300,000 service members since the war began in February 2022. "This is an indication that he may be [in even] more trouble than most people realize," Austin said. "But again, he went ‘tin-cupping' early on to get additional weapons and materials from [North Korea], and then from Iran and now he's making a move to get more people, if … these troops are designed to be a part of the fight in Ukraine."
Austin spoke at the end of a long trip where he first participated in the last NATO Defense Ministerial of the Biden Administration. He then moved to Rome where he took part in the first G-7 Defense Ministers Meeting. He made an unannounced trip to Kyiv where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his defense leadership. He returned to Rome and met with Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Austin said the Pope is focused on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. "He is concerned about humanitarian issues in both areas, and of course, we share a common desire to see these conflicts scale back in terms of the level of activity and in a ceasefire," Austin said.